Snowflakes on the Wind
by elsa-frozemyheart
Summary: A second collection of drabbles and ficlets, leading up to the release of Frozen on DVD and Blu-Ray.
1. The New Room

**Hello, there!**

**In the exact same way that I wrote drabbles leading up to the movie premiere, I'm writing drabbles leading up to the release of the movie on DVD and Blu-Ray.**

**If you'd like to see me write a certain prompt, just send me a message here, or on my tumblr, the link to which you can find on my profile.**

**Enjoy the drabbles!**

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own Frozen or any of the characters and ideas held within the canon plot of the movie.**

* * *

"Come on, come on, come on!"

"I'm coming, Feistypants, hold your horses!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Kristoff, I don't even have any horses right now." A wave of a hand and a slight giggle before the strawberry blonde disappeared around another corner. "Come on, we're almost there!"

The ice harvester rolled his eyes and quirked a half-smile as he rounded the corner, abruptly running into the petite princess.

"Sorry, I'm sorry! I should have warned you we were stopping!" Anna whirled around to face him, wringing her hands slightly before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down, there, Anna. It's okay." Kristoff grinned reassuringly. "Now, what were you so eager to show me, huh?"

Anna bounced on her toes as she backed up against a door, putting a hand on the knob as she looked up at him. "Are you ready? Were you _born_ ready? Are you sure? Are you _surely_sure?" She spoke in such rapid succession that the blonde hardly had any time to answer before she was on to the next question.

"Yes. Ye- Yes. _Yes_, Anna. I'm ready."

"Okay…" Anna bit her lip and swung the door open, moving to stand beside him. "Ta-da!" She stretched her arms out in front of her, presenting the room to him, gaze rapidly moving between him and the doorway, trying to gauge his reaction.

"Anna, this is…"

"I know!" she squealed, arms flailing excitedly before she bounded into the room. "Come on, come look closer, it gets better!"

With a lopsided grin, the mountain man quietly followed behind her, watching her as she flitted around the room at high-speed.

"Okay, so this is where we'll keep the clothes!" Anna pointed to a dresser before hopping to the other side of the room. "And clean-up will happen over here!" She ran to the far wall. "And this is for sleepytime!"

Kristoff chuckled, continuing to watch her in silence before walking behind her, wrapping his arms around her extended belly. Anna smiled and placed her hands over his, her fingers biefly brushing against the solid gold band on his finger.

"Look!" She pointed to the mobile hanging over the empty crib in front of them. "Elsa made it. It's got a reindeer, a carrot, a snowman, and a snowflake!" She pulled away, biting her lip and fiddling with her hands, a nervous tick Kristoff had picked up on long ago. "Do you like it?"

"I _love_ it. It's perfect." He took her hand in his and squeezed gently. "And the little prince is gonna love it, too."

"You mean the little princess."

"Anna, he's a prince."

"_She_ is a princess," she argued, looking up at him with a characteristic pout.

For a moment, Kristoff fell silent, reveling in the beauty of the girl that stood before him. He still wasn't so sure what he had done to get so lucky, but he thanked his lucky stars every morning that he woke up to messy red bedhead and drool-covered cheeks. Sure, it had taken a long time to get here, but that didn't matter to him. He wanted her to be happy, and if that meant taking their time, then he could certainly wait for her to be comfortable enough.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts as he continued to study her, watching as she worried a lip between her teeth, probably confused by his sudden silence. She nervously began to wring her hands again, rocking back and forth slightly on the balls of her feet.

"I could kiss you right now." He blinked, realizing that he had spoken his thoughts out loud. "I-I mean, I'd like to, i-if it's okay with you, that is."

Anna smiled and laughed softly. "Five years later, and you still get tongue-tied and flustered every single time you ask for a kiss." She leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "Of _course_ you can kiss me. You don't even have to ask me anymore. I'm yours, forever and always."

Kristoff blushed lightly as he looked down to meet her gaze. "Asking makes it more special." With that, he leaned down, and their lips connected in a tender, loving kiss.

As Anna pulled away, arms draped loosely around his neck, she smiled, nose crinkling ever so slightly as she looked up to meet his gaze. "I love you. So much."

"I know. And I love you. And the little prince."

A playful groan. "_Princess_, Kris, get it right!"


	2. We're Okay Now

**Prompt: They find the dolls in Anna's room.**

* * *

_Knock, knock._

"It's open!"

Elsa smiled at the cheerful tone of her sister's voice. Though the two now had an always-open door policy, of sorts, Elsa still found it more polite to knock on the door, rather than to just go barging in. Now that she had been allowed entry, though, she nudged the door open with her hip and entered the room, a mug in each hand, and a blanket draped over one shoulder.

"I come bringing gifts of hot chocolate and warmth."

Anna looked up from her spot, where she was currently sitting upside down with her legs propped up against the headboard. "Ooh!" She immediately swung off of the bed and ran to her sister's aid. "Thanks, Els, I- Wait… If both of your hands are full, how did you knock?" She took a mug from Elsa's hand as she tilted her head to the side. "With your face?"

Elsa chuckled quietly behind a delicate hand, eyes sparkling with mirth as she shook her head playfully. "No, silly. I used my foot." She took the blanket from her shoulder, draping it over her free arm as she watched her sister, eyebrows raised in amusement.

"Oh. Of course. That makes so much more sense, duh!" Anna smacked a palm to her forehead.

"So. Is there anything else we need for our much-awaited sleepover tonight?" It had been only two days since the Great Thaw, and the sisters had spent every waking moment possible together, including at night. The first night had been spent in Elsa's room, where the girls had talked until the early hours of the morning, catching up on every possible subject they could. Tonight, it was Anna's turn to host. She'd even cleaned her room up. Mostly.

Anna thought for a moment, mouth scrunching up as she did so. "Nope. We're all set. Snacks, hot cocoa, blankets, pillows galore… Let's do this!" Anna bounced over to the bedroom door and shut it. "What shall we do first, Elsie?"

She was greeted with nothing but silence.

She turned back around to face her sister. "Elsa?"

Elsa was standing very still, her eyes locked on the window seat, whereupon sat two small dolls with bright dresses and yarn for hair, one blonde, and one redheaded. Elsa silently set her cocoa down on the bedside table and draped the blanket over the foot of the bed before kneeling down and taking a doll in each hand.

"Elsa?" Anna quickly placed her mug next to Elsa's and moved to slowly kneel down next to her sister, looking between her beloved childhood playthings and her sister's blue eyes, frowning when she saw tears forming in the depths of the icy blue hues. "Elsa…? What… What's wrong?"

"Thirteen years…" came Elsa's voice, barely above a whisper. A single tear rolled down a pale cheek, freezing not even halfway through its descent. "Thirteen years I left you alone, with no one for company except these two little dolls." Elsa finally looked up to meet her sister's concerned turquoise eyes. "Anna, I-"

"Elsa. You don't have to apologise. Everything's okay now. We're together again, see?" She took the dolls from her sister's slackened grip and made them hug, smiling goofily, desperate to get her sister to cheer up. "We're okay now."

Elsa smiled sadly as her gaze drifted back to the dolls. "When I first moved out, I… I took the doll in your likeness. I pretended that it was almost like having you around. But after a few months, I…" A pause, and a shaky deep breath before she spoke again. "I couldn't handle it anymore. I realized that I wouldn't be able to see you grow up into a young lady, into an amazing young woman that our parents would be so proud of. And seeing the doll every day only made it hurt worse, so… One night, when you were sleeping, I snuck the doll back in, so you could have both of them to play with."

"Oh, Elsa…" Anna reached up to brush away the tiny crystals sprinkled on her sister's fair cheeks. Finding herself at a loss for words, she looked down at the dolls resting in her lap. Glancing briefly between Elsa and the dolls, she picked up the redheaded one. "Here." She gently placed the doll in Elsa's hands. "Keep her. So every time you look at her, you remember that we're okay now, and that we always will be. Nothing will keep us apart anymore. Not your powers, not Hans, not even Kristoff, or-" She trailed off as she watched Elsa clutch the doll to her chest, her shoulders heaving in silent sobs. "Elsa, what is it?"

Elsa looked up, her eyes rimmed with red as she bit her lip and shook her head. "I never should have let them keep me away from you. I never should have done that to you. It's all my fault." Elsa hung her head as her shoulders shook harder, and she clutched the doll closer.

"Elsa…" Unsure if there was anything that she could truly say to soothe her sister's aching heart, she scooted forward and pulled Elsa into a tight hug, wrapping her arms around her shoulders and brushing a hand through her hair soothingly as Elsa began to cry harder. After a few seconds, she felt Elsa grip her in return. She could feel the chill of Elsa's skin, even through her own nightgown, but she didn't allow it to bother her. "It's okay, Elsa. It's okay. _We're_ okay." She began to rub soothing circles into Elsa's back, doing everything she could to alleviate her sister's sorrow. "You don't have to be alone anymore. You don't have to be afraid. I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere ever again, and neither are you."

Elsa buried her face into Anna's hair as she held her tighter, whimpering softly as the pain of thirteen years of separation began to wash over her. "I'm so sorry, Anna. I'm so sorry."


	3. Let's Ride Our Bike Around the Halls

**Prompt: They make a new bike for themselves and and ride down the stairs and into the town.**

* * *

"Anna, slow down!"

Elsa's words were lost underneath the girlish giggles coming from her partner in crime, who was currently pulling her out of her bedroom and down the hall at what was surely a record-breaking speed. The next thing she knew, they had come to a screeching halt at the end of a long hall.

"Do the magic, do the magic!" Anna bounced eagerly on her toes as she clasped her hands together under her chin.

"Alright, alright. Hush now, or you'll wake everyone else up!" Elsa smirked slightly.

"It's six in the morning; they should all be up, anyways!" Anna waved a hand dismissively.

"Anna, not everyone else has been up all night and has insane amounts of energy because they ate chocolate all night during a sleepover." Elsa meant for her tone to be firm, but she couldn't help the grin that appeared as she twirled a hand in front of her. In a matter of mere seconds, an ice-blue tandem bike, much like the one they'd had as children, stood before them, ready to be used.

Anna clapped excitedly before placing her hands over her mouth to stifle her giggles. "Come on! You take the back and I'll take the front!"

"Anna, wait…" Elsa paused, clasping her hands together nervously. "I really don't think we should be doing this. Riding a bike indoors? That's dangerous. Not to mention, it's unbecoming of royalty. Besides, I've not even had the chance to ride a bike in years, I'll mess your concentration up."

"Oh, come _on_! Live a little! You may be a queen, and a very successful one, at that, but you're also just a young woman. You deserve some fun!" The redhead wiggled as she got comfortable on her seat. "I'll even do all the pedaling…" she sing-songed.

Elsa remained silent for a few moments before sighing in defeat. "Oh… Alright, fine. Let's just get this over with, then. Go on." Elsa slid onto her seat and gripped the handlebars tightly as the bicycle lurched forward, the young princess in front of her pedaling furiously.

"See, Elsa, it's not so bad!" Anna called over her shoulder, trying to be heard over the sound of the wind whooshing around them.

Elsa gave an unamused "hmph" in response as she looked at the doors whirring past them in a blur. After a few seconds, however, she felt a playful grin tug at her lips, and allowed herself a joyful laugh as they both leaned slightly to the side as they turned a corner.

"There's that laugh I love! See, you're doing it! You're having _fun_!" Anna giggled excitedly as she began to pedal impossibly faster.

As their speed increased, Elsa poked her head over Anna's shoulder to see where they were going, and the sight caused her eyes to widen. "Uh, Anna…?" She laughed nervously. "We're, uh… We're headed straight for those stairs!"

"I know!"

The lack of fear in Anna's tone did not go unnoticed, and Elsa gripped the handlebars tighter. "Anna…"

"Lean forward, and keep your arms and legs in!" Anna instructed, demonstrating for Elsa to see.

Elsa hardly had time to react and do as told before they began their bumpy descent. "Anna!" she screeched, trying to sound reprimanding, but having difficulty, due to her voice jolting comically with every bump they hit. "You're going to kill us, what were you thinking?!"

"Just keep still!" Anna laughed as they whirled faster and faster down the spiral staircase. She cried out triumphantly as they passed over the last step and remained upright. A few feet farther, and they were bouncing down the main staircase, headed straight for the closed front doors.

"Anna!" Elsa cried out, beyond fearful for the safety of them both, at this point.

"Kai!" Anna called out to the servant who was, luckily for them, right by the front door. "Quick, open it, please!"

With a millisecond to spare, the door swung open and the girls sped past the confused man and down the front steps, Anna maneuvering them around the fountain and through the open gates.

"Look out, coming through!" Anna warned as villagers of all ages jumped out of the way of their queen and princess.

"Sorry! I'm so sorry!" Elsa called out, trying, and desperately failing, to keep up some sort of queenly façade.

"Elsa! Dock!"

"Duck?!"

"No, dock!" Anna screamed as the bicycle went airborne, and the girls flew through the air. In their moment of weightlessness, Elsa shrieked, and Anna screeched with laughter before they landed in the fjord with a loud splash.

Anna was the first to resurface, throwing a fist into the air. "That was _awesome_!"

A few seconds later, and Elsa came up sputtering, her braid having come undone, and her platinum hair plastered against her pale face. Flailing, she grabbed onto Anna's arm to keep afloat.

"We are _never_ doing that again, am I _perfectly_ clear?" She paused to cough and brush the hair from her eyes with her free hand. She blinked as Anna burst into laughter. "What could _possibly_ be funny at a time like this?"

"You… You look like a wet dog!" Anna managed between bouts of laughter.

Elsa frowned, wrapping her free arm tight around herself in slight annoyance, though her eyes sparkled with slight amusement. "A wet dog who doesn't know how to swim, and, if not out of this water in sixty seconds, will freeze the fjord again, with you in it, this time."

Anna gasped dramatically. "Well… Since you're already here, let's teach you how to swim now!" she suggested, completely ignoring her sister's empty threat.

"_Anna_."

"Oh, come on. You had a little bit of fun, right?"

Elsa allowed herself a tiny grin and splashed water at her younger sister. "Just a little bit."

"I knew it."


	4. The Sky's Awake

**Prompt: They spend some time looking at the aurora borealis.**

**Trigger Warning: Miscarriage and loss of child is a major part of this fic, so please don't read if you're afraid you might get triggered by it.**

* * *

All was quiet in the halls of the castle; most of the inhabitants had retired for the evening hours ago. The same, however, could not be said for the queen. Though it was well past any healthy hour of going to bed, she was still working diligently in her study, reading over the day's final few treaties, trade proposals, and other important documents.

As a distant clock chimed half past the midnight hour, Elsa sighed and set her papers and quill down, running a tired hand over her face. It was far too late to keep this up, and she was far too drained. She'd just wake up early and finish in the morning. Not bothering to hide her large yawn, she straightened her papers once more before blowing out the candle she had been using for light, standing, and then heading to the door, shutting it behind her with a soft click.

The journey from her study to her chambers was not a long one, and she took slow, measured steps as she walked, drinking in the quiet and the dim light entering through the window, smiling faintly when she caught the sight of the aurora borealis glimmering across the dark night sky. _The sky's awake, so I'm awake_, she mused fondly to herself as she turned the corner to the hall that housed her chambers, and then, a little farther down and round the corner, her sister's, which was shared with Kristoff, now that the two were married and living together.

Elsa sighed sadly as her thoughts lingered on her sister. The past few days had been unfairly rough on her. Anna and Kristoff had been so happy. They were expecting their firstborn child, and they had been completely thrilled. Things had seemed to be going perfectly, until one night… they weren't.

Elsa had woken late one night to pained cries coming from her sister's chambers, and, fearing the worst, she had bolted straight there. She opened the door to find Kristoff kneeling by Anna's side of the bed. Anna had looked up at her then, and Elsa had seen the pain in her eyes, the tears trailing down her abnormally pale cheeks. It was that Elsa's gaze had fallen to the bloodied bed sheets, and she had understood everything with painful clarity.

That had been a week ago, and Anna, understandably, hadn't been the same since. She had become quieter, more subdued, frighteningly unlike her normal self. But Elsa could never blame her. To lose one's own child was a pain she could not even begin to fathom. Anna was trying, though, Elsa knew she was, but she also knew that this wasn't something one could easily bounce back from.

Coming back to the present, Elsa blinked to clear her mind as she opened her bedroom door and crossed the threshold, closing the door quietly behind her. She froze as she heard a quiet sniffle coming from the direction of her window. She turned and saw that her sister had pulled one of the high-backed chairs in front of the window, and was sitting there, gazing silently out at the coloured ribbons dancing across the sky.

Elsa smiled sadly and quietly moved to stand by her sister. The room remained quiet for a good while, as the sisters both watched the gossamer colours dancing across the starry canvas. The silence was loud, and Elsa struggled between letting her sister continue to watch the lights, or trying to talk to her and convince her to get some rest. She sighed softly and looked down at her sister. The sight made her heart break, seeing her bright blue eyes clouded with grief and rimmed with red from sadness, the quiet tears trailing down her moonlit cheeks. Elsa slowly, gently placed a hand on her knee.

"Anna?" she asked gently, so as not to startle the girl.

When she received no answer, she moved to kneel in front of her, gently taking her hands in her own.

"Anna?" She spoke softer now, watching her sister for any sign of recognition or acknowledgment.

After a few moments of silence, Anna's gaze slid from the window to meet her sister's worried gaze, and she gave the best attempt at a smile that she could muster.

"Hey…" Elsa greeted her, now that she knew she had her attention, and smiled gently in return, rubbing her thumb soothingly over the back of her sister's hand as she looked on in silence. "Don't you want to try and get some rest now, Anna?"

Anna didn't speak for a while, and Elsa didn't push her to. When she _did_ speak, her voice was a whisper, and if Elsa hadn't been so close, she would have missed it.

"The sky's awake… So I guess _I'm_ awake." She gave a soft, sad sort of laugh, and then a sniffle, and then she was falling apart, and it was all Elsa could do to hold her as she fell forward into her open arms. And for a long time, there was nothing but the sound of Anna's heartbroken sobs, and Elsa's gentle sounds of soothing in the stillness of the night.

After a while, when Anna's sobs seemed to have died down somewhat, Elsa stood slowly, pulling her sister with her. "Come on." She wrapped one arm around Anna's waist, and used her other arm to steady her, resting a hand on her elbow. "You can stay with me for the night, alright?" She sat her down on the side of the bed gently and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sure that Kristoff won't mind, I'm sure he knows you're already in here. Just let me change, and I'll be right back, I promise, okay?"

After receiving a silent nod in return, she quickly disappeared behind her dressing partition, reemerging just as fast. She moved back over to the bed, and found Anna already under the covers, curled up on herself. Elsa slid under the covers and settled down facing her.

"I'm back now…" she said soothingly, watching with a sinking heart as her sister sniffled again. "Do you want to be held?"

Anna bit her lip to stifle a quiet sob and moved forward to settle into her sister's outstretched arms as she broke down again.

Elsa held her and rubbed her back soothingly, humming a lullaby she remembered from their childhood, knowing that there was nothing else she could truly do to provide her grieving sister comfort. She could only hope that things would get better in time.

They _had_ to.

For her sister's sake.


	5. Of Snowballs and Silliness

**Prompt: They have a snowball fight in their room.**

**Note: This is pre-movie, so the girls are five and eight.**

* * *

Elsa was ignoring her again.

And that simply would not do.

With a dramatic sigh, Anna flopped over onto her back. After a short moment of silence, she leaned up to peer over at the bed against the opposite wall. Not even so much as a murmured response.

Granted, it was well into the night, and Elsa was probably sleeping, rather than simply ignoring her. Admittedly, sleeping was something Anna should be doing, too, she _did_ love her sleep. But how could she be expected to do so when the brightly coloured sky was just _beckoning _for her to get up and play?

When it became clear that she wasn't going to receive any form of answer from her current spot, she threw the covers off of herself and slid off the bed, hopping from foot to foot until she grew accustomed to the slight chill of the bedroom floor.

With a mischievous grin, she quietly tiptoed to her sister's bed, where she could see her sleeping quietly. Well, not for long, at least.

"Elsa!" she whispered excitedly, using all the force she could muster to pounce on top of the bed, landing on her sister, who gave a slight grunt as she was disturbed from her slumber.

"_Anna_… Go back to _sleep_…" Elsa tried to turn over and shrug the smaller girl off, but Anna would have none of it, instead flopping onto her back, still atop her sister.

"You know, I can't, Elsa! The-"

But before she could finish her typical spun tale of reasoning, she was cut off by Elsa finally managing to sit up, amusement sparkling in her cool blue eyes.

"Anna!" she exclaimed through a giggle. "_What_?"

And Anna knew she had Elsa's full attention now.

"Do the magic?" she asked, clasping her hands together under her chin.

Elsa grinned and they both slid off the bed and stood in the middle of the room as Elsa twirled her hands together, magic pulsating in her palms. "Ready?"

Anna nodded and bounced eagerly as Elsa sent the magic up into the air and snowflakes began to fall around them. Anna became completely mesmerised, dancing around and catching the flakes in her hands, off in her own little world until she heard her sister's voice.

"Hey, Anna… Catch!"

Anna had just enough time to look up before she received a face full of snow. "Hey, no fair, no snow powers!" She reached down and scooped some snow up, haphazardly forming her own snowball before throwing it somewhat in Elsa's direction.

And thus began the snowball fight that would span the next half hour, each girl doing their best to catch their sibling off guard. Snow forts were built, and backup ammunition guarded fiercely as each gained and lost the upper hand multiple times.

"Give up, Anna!" Elsa taunted playfully. "You can't win against me and my powers!" She emphasised her statement by raining snowballs down on her tiny sister, who giggled and hid underneath her arms.

"Says who?" Anna scooped up snowballs, throwing them left and right with surprising accuracy for someone who wasn't really looking where they were throwing.

Ultimately, the war ended when Elsa let Anna win with a snowball aimed at her shoulder, falling unnecessarily dramatically before feeling wind almost knocked out of her as Anna tackled her.

"Thank you, Elsie!" Anna beamed up at her sister contentedly.

"Anytime, Anna." She returned the smile before glancing around at the mess that their snow-covered room had become. "But… We better clean this up and not tell mother and father about this. We'll find somewhere else to play next time. Agreed?"

"Agreed."


	6. Paper Confessions

**Prompt: Elsa sends a message to Anna through a tutor.**

* * *

"As soon as you finish the last few problems, Your Highness, you may take your leave."

Elsa nodded politely to her tutor and picked up her quill as she looked down at the parchment in front of her. The questions were simple; she'd finish them in no time at all. Geometry was her favourite subject, after all. But if she lingered long enough, she knew that her sister would be entering the library for her own lessons, and that might mean she could at least hear the soft tones of Anna's voice.

_Anna._

The simple name brought a whirlwind of emotions upon the blonde princess as she squeezed her eyes shut. Pain, sorrow, protectiveness, regret. _Guilt_. Anna had been hurt, almost killed, and it was all _her_ fault. She hadn't meant to do it. They were just playing. And now Elsa was hurting her even more, just because she was trying to protect her, and keep her safe. But it had to be done. Elsa would rather stay behind a closed door for the rest of her life, if it meant Anna would be safe from her. But that didn't mean Elsa didn't sometimes bend the rules slightly, if she could.

The sound of the library door opening brought Elsa from her silent revelry. She opened her eyes and trained them back on the parchment in front of her, not daring to look up when she heard clumsy, heavy footsteps approaching her desk.

There was a silence, and Elsa knew that Anna was waiting for her to acknowledge her. She struggled internally. Making eye contact made everything hurt worse. And Elsa didn't want  
Anna to have to suffer any more than she already was. But it had been _so long_ since she'd gotten a decent look at her sister. Maybe just a quick glance, that couldn't hurt too much, could it?

But just as she had mustered enough courage to look up, Anna gave a resigned sigh and shuffled past her. A few seconds later, there was a thunk and then a thud as Anna plunked herself down in her chair, and tossed her book satchel onto the desk, starting to take her books out and dropping each one on the desk with an unnecessary bang. The tutor cleared his throat from somewhere in front of Elsa, and Anna fell into complete silence then.

Suddenly, there was a woosh and a bit of parchment landed by Elsa's foot. Anna gave a quiet, frustrated groan and snatched the parchment back up, grumbling quietly to herself about something Elsa couldn't quite make out.

But seeing the blank parchment had given Elsa a plan. Maybe she couldn't _speak_ to Anna, but that didn't mean she couldn't _write_ to Anna, did it? With that thought now in mind, Elsa finished her geometry quickly and pulled out a fresh piece of parchment, dipper her quill into the inkwell, and… paused.

She didn't know what to write. What _could_ she write to the sister she'd been pushing away for going on ten years now? Frustrated with herself, she wrote the first thing that came to mind.

_Hi_.

'Hi?' What, was she five? She scratched that line out and started over.

_I hope your birthday party last week was nice_.

Better. But still holding some of the harsh, stoic personality that was so typical of Elsa. If Anna deserved anything, it certainly wasn't harshness from Elsa, both in person _and_ on paper. Elsa took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose as she considered what else she could possibly write.

And then it hit her. It was so obvious. How had she not thought of it before? This was exactly the sort of thing that she needed to say, and that Anna needed to hear. She scratched out that line, as well, and scrawled again in her perfectly practiced flowing cursive.

_I still love you. More than you will ever understand._

She didn't sign it. She didn't need to. Anna would know immediately whose handwriting it was, surely.

With a quiet sigh, Elsa gathered her things and stood, gliding gracefully to her tutor and handing him her papers before pausing, letter still in hand. When the tutor looked at her quizzically, she sighed softly.

"Do you… Could you… give this to Princess Anna? Please." She handed over the paper and bit her lip as unwelcome tears welled up in her eyes unexpectedly.

"Of course, Your Highness." The tutor smiled sadly at her then, with sympathetic eyes, and an almost inaudible sob tore from Elsa's throat.

She could feel frost forming on her fingertips, which were hidden underneath a pair of gloves, as always, but she knew the situation had become critical for those around her. In haste, she lifted the hem of her skirts up slightly and fled from the library as fast as she could, forgetting all manner of holding an air of regality. She did not stop until she had reached her chambers and slammed the door shut behind her. With another sob, she slid to the floor, back pressed against the door, shoulders shaking and the sound of ice crackling surrounding her. It was there that she stayed for the remainder of the day.

And when Anna knocked on her door softly and said she still loved her, too, even though she didn't understand what she'd done, Elsa only sobbed harder.


	7. The Dessert Thieves

**Prompt: Elsa and Anna get their first taste of chocolate for some special occasion.**

* * *

Tonight was a very special night.

Having just turned the grand old age of six, Elsa was finally allowed to attend her very first ball. And, since Elsa never went anywhere without Anna, that meant that she was allowed to go, as well. Of course, it might have taken Elsa and Anna a joint temper tantrum to get to that point, but that didn't matter now. Not when there were pretty dresses to be worn, and fun to be had.

There had been some rules set in place, though. No leaving the ballroom without one of their parents knowing or going with them, no using snow powers, and absolutely no desserts, no buts about it.

So, naturally, both girls had no idea whatsoever how they had come to be hiding underneath the dessert table, Anna keeping watch while Elsa sneakily emerged, grabbed small pastries, and scurried back under.

"Anna! Look at this one!" Elsa sat with a large dinner plate in front of her, which was piled high with petit fours, biscuits, krumkake, and all other sorts of sugary perfection. She held up a tiny, beautifully iced square for Anna to see.

"Oh…" Anna admired it before snatching it from her elder sister and shoving it in her mouth.

Elsa stifled a giggle with both hands before looking down at the plate again. "I _think_ I got everything, but… we should check again, just to make sure."

Anna nodded, mouth full of some other dessert now. "Okay, Elsie!" she managed to mumble, watching in silence as Elsa poked back out from under the table.

Looking all around, Elsa stealthily rose to her full height and peeked over the edge of the table, nodding at every dessert she knew she'd snuck already, until she came to one that looked unfamiliar. One plate held a mound of tiny brown little dome-shaped something-or-others. And they looked absolutely delicious.

Meanwhile, annoyed with Elsa taking so long, Anna peeked out from under the table and crept up behind her. Following her gaze, her eyes widened. "Elsa, Elsa. What's _that_?"

"I don't know." So she did what she had been taught to do when she didn't know something. Ask someone who probably did. Looking around, she found the closest person and tugged politely on the hem of his jacket.

The man looked down at Elsa, excused himself from his current conversation, and knelt down to her height, a medallion with a sun clinking against his garments. "Well, hello, there, little one."

"Princess Elsa of Arendelle." She gave a polite little curtsy as she introduced herself, which, admittedly, was hard to do with Anna clinging shyly to the back of her dress. "Could you tell us what's on that plate?" She pointed to the dessert in question.

The man bowed his head politely in response before looking at the plate and smiling. "I see you've discovered the chocolate. Would you like for me to get you some?"

Both girls nodded excitedly and watched as the man placed some of the chocolates on a plate and offered it to the girls. Anna came out form her hiding place and took it with a bashful smile before scurrying back under the table.

"Thank you very much, kind sir." Elsa dipped into another curtsy before following her sister back to their hiding place as the man watched with a smile before turning back to the party.

Elsa found Anna holding a chocolate in each hand, one extended towards her. "Together!" Anna insisted.

Elsa grinned and took her piece before they both popped the candies into their mouths, each realizing a simultaneous "mm."

Anna was the first to recover. "Another, another!"

And so they became so wrapped up in their decidedly new favourite dessert that they didn't notice when the tablecloth was lifted and they were caught in the act by their mother.

But, Elsa supposed, a week's worth of no dessert was an acceptable and fair punishment for blatantly going against the rules. Unless the dessert would be chocolate. That would just be cruel.


	8. Midnight Escapades

**Prompt: Anna sneaking treats from the kitchen after the incident.**

**Trigger Warning: Panic Attacks**

* * *

Sneaking around had been a forte of Anna's since she could crawl.

Sneaking around the _kitchens_ was something she'd mastered by age four.

But sneaking around the kitchen at _night_ with minimal visibility, creaky floors, and an unlit staircase to fall down? Well, she still had time to improve upon that. She was, after all, only seven.

_A seven year old whose sister doesn't even acknowledge her presence_, she mused bitterly to herself.

Two years had passed, and Anna still had no idea what she'd done to upset Elsa enough to never want to see her again. Had she done something wrong, _said_ something wrong? Anna certainly wouldn't put it past herself. She never failed to speak without thinking, and had ended up in quite a few undesirable situations because of that. At least her good friends in the portrait room didn't judge her for that. Thankfully, they also couldn't tell anyone she was sneaking around. And that was certainly coming in very handy right about now.

With a grin, Anna waved to the portraits through the open door as she tiptoed down the hall. It was the middle of the night, and she'd been in her room, so she hadn't any shoes on to make any sound, which was another added bonus.

But next was the tricky part, the hallway with squeaky floorboards everywhere, the Hallway of Doom, she'd come to call it, after being caught several times. But that had been in her rookie days of sneaking. Now she was a seasoned sneaker, and could hop around as needed without making a sound. Her missions tonight proved so. She only lost her balance once, and, by some miracle, managed to catch herself.

She threw a fist in the air, and turned abruptly, and, in the process, nearly sent herself tumbling down the stairs. Catching herself on the railing, she hopped up and slid down the banister. That was a trick she'd learned early on, to reduce noise.

Once she landed, all of the hard stuff was done, and, since it was late in the evening, no one else was around, so her mad dash into the kitchens to grab a handful of wrapped chocolates and her equally crazy dash back to the staircase went completely unseen and unheard.

Anna allowed herself a quiet victory dance before she started the long journey back up the winding staircase. Really, though, the trek wasn't so bad when you were also eating chocolate. Before she knew it, she was almost back to her room. She just had to pass Elsa's door and go around the corner, and she'd be home free.

As she snuck silently past the looming door that hid her sister away, she bristled with slight anger, still sore about the whole separation ordeal. But as soon as she heard the quiet sobs and quick breaths coming from within, all former pangs of anger melted and she became worried, hurrying to the door and pressing her hand against the white wood.

"Elsa?"

There was a quiet gasp, and then, almost immediately, the sobs and heavy breathing started back up.

"G-go away, A-Anna," came Elsa's shaky voice, and Anna could hear the fear hidden behind her harsh words.

"Are you okay?" She pressed her ear against the door, straining to hear as much as she could.

Silence.

And, then. "N-no."

"Then, I'm not leaving until I know you are." Anna plopped herself down, back against the door as she looked down at the candies in her palm. An idea forming in her mind, Anna grinned and took one of the chocolates, sliding it underneath the door as far as she could. "Here… chocolate always makes _me_ feel better."

There was another harsh sob from behind the door, and Anna fell silent again, listening intently. She wasn't sure how long she was there, but she stayed until she was certain she could hear Elsa breathing normal and that her sobs had quieted to soft sniffles. She was just about to leave, satisfied that Elsa was okay, when her sister's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Th-thank you, Anna."

Anna blinked, and then smiled and put her hand against the door again, pretending that maybe her sister's hand was on the other side of the wood. "You're welcome." A pause. "I love you."

A longer pause, punctuated with a sniffle, and a chill and a pang of heartbreak ran through Anna when she heard the next words.

"You shouldn't."


	9. A Guide to Banister Sliding

**Prompt: Anna teaches Elsa how to slide down the banister of the stairs**

**This actually came from a reviewer on here, Darius. Thank you so much for the lovely prompt!**

* * *

"No."

"Oh, _come on_!"

"Absolutely not."

"But El_sa_…"

"Sliding down the banister is not becoming of a queen, nor is it becoming of a princess, Anna."

Anna groaned dramatically and flung herself across her sister's lap, effectively drawing her attentions away from her paperwork.

Elsa smirked and, with a wiggle of her fingers, sent a twinkle of icy magic towards Anna's stomach, tickling her, and effectively getting her to launch back out of her lap with a screech.

"Using your ice powers won't get you out of this one," Anna warned, glaring playfully at her sister.

"And what, pray tell, _will_, Anna?" Elsa questioned without so much as a glance up from the paperwork she had immediately gone back to reading over.

"Just give it a try. One try. Pleeeeeeeease?" Anna knelt down beside her sister, placing her hands on Elsa's leg and perching her chin on top, giving her her very best puppy dog pout.

Elsa ignored her for all of five seconds before finally looking down at her, chuckling slightly and rolling her eyes playfully. "Fine. _One_ try." She booped Anna's nose, leaving behind a thin film of frost.

Anna went cross-eyed trying to look at her nose as the ice melted before registering her sister's response. "Wait, what? You'll try? Great, come on!" Before Elsa could respond, Anna had jumped up and was already pulling her out the door and down the hallway, not stopping until they had reached the spiraling grand staircase.

"Okay, okay, okay!" Anna hopped in place eagerly. "I'll slide down first, so you can see, and then you can slide down, alright?" Once again failing to give Elsa time to answer, she leapt atop the banister. "All you have to do is push yourself off and you'll be on your way!" She nodded excitedly. "Oh, and for the love of chocolate, do _not_ put your hands on the banister while you're moving."

Elsa's only response was the amused arching of a single thin eyebrow.

"Just trust me. I learned that the hard way…" Anna grimaced before perking right back up. "Any questions?"

Elsa bit her lip and looked from the banister Anna was perched on and then back up to her sister. "Anna…"

"Great, see ya down below!" Anna pushed herself off and began her speedy descent, giggling all the way down.

Elsa waited in a tense silence for a few seconds, worried for the safety of her sister, until….

"Your turn, Elsa!" came Anna's cheery voice.

"Anna… I don't know about this…" She wrung her hands nervously as she leaned over the railing to try and look at Anna.

"Just follow my instructions. And if you're worried about crashing, you can just make a snow cushion!"  
Elsa sighed and nodded, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before hefting herself up onto the banister, gripping it tightly as she balanced herself.

"Okay…" she said after a moment of mentally preparing herself, calling loud enough for Anna to be able to hear her. "I'm coming down!"

And with that, she pushed herself down, and began flying down the staircase at a speed far faster than she was comfortable with, doing her best not to flail and upset her balance.

"You're doing great, Els, you're almost done!" Anna called.

"Why did I agree to this?!" Elsa shouted in response as she drew closer to the ground floor, quickly throwing a hand out and creating enough snow to lessen the blow of her crash, landing with a soft _fwump_.

As her sister landed, Anna shielded her face as snow flew through the air.

She waited a few seconds. "Elsa…?"

The queen in question stood, the snow lifting with her before dissipating completely at Elsa's will. Brushing her dress off, she turned back to the staircase.

"Elsa…?" Anna twirled back and forth nervously on the spot, hoping she hadn't pushed her sister too far.

Elsa took a few steps up before finally turning back to face Anna, expression unreadable.

"Never. Again."

And she turned with a flick of her cape, heading back to her study and the unfinished paperwork she still had to review. She did, however, allow herself a small chuckle when she heard the sound of feet slipping on the ice she had sneakily created, followed by a thump as a rear painfully connected with the hard ground beneath it. Maybe that would encourage Anna to think twice before disturbing the queen from her duties. Not that Elsa really minded all that much, anyways.


	10. The Love of a Sister

**Prompt: AU where little Anna finds little Elsa outside her room crying and she approaches her to comforts her but Elsa is afraid to hurt Anna so she begins to calls their parents but Anna hugs her very tight and Elsa breaks down.**

* * *

The night started out as most other nights had for the past six months now, since Elsa had all but disappeared from the world. Anna and her mother and father had taken dinner in the dining room in complete silence, and Anna had spent most of it trying to ignore the empty place setting that had once belonged to Elsa.

After dessert, which was chocolate that Anna should have enjoyed, but could never bring herself to without her older sister to share it with, she told her parents good evening and that she would see them when they came back to tuck her in bed later that night. The climb up the stairs to the floor that housed her bedroom was a long and tiring one, for a six year old, and it would lead her past Elsa's bedroom and the looming door that separated them, but it was the quickest way there, and Anna was ready to fall on her bed and relax after a long day of doing nothing but knocking on her sister's door all morning before she had been dragged by her boring tutor into boring lessons filled with boring textbooks and boring work.

Anna narrowed her eyes in annoyance as she remembered the sheer boring-ness of it all, before the sound of soft crying brought her back to the present. She peeked her head around the corner and gasped at the sight before her. Sitting in front of the very door that she always hid behind, Elsa sat, curled up with her knees to her chest and her face buried in her lap, crying.

All at once, a whirlwind of questions flew through Anna's mind at high speed. _What's wrong? Is she hurt? Why isn't she in her room? Has she finally come out to build a snowman?_

But every single thought died instantly as Elsa's head shot up, the gasp having alerted her that someone else was in the same vicinity. She brought her gloved hands to her chest and froze, looking like a scared little animal, ready to flee.

"Elsa?" Anna asked softly, trying not to sound too hopeful, in case this was some weird, chocolate-induced hallucination that would go away any minute now. She slowly inched towards her sister. "Elsie, what's wrong?"

Elsa shot up then, one hand still held against her chest, the other already reaching for the doorknob.

"Elsa?" Anna sped up a little, certain now that this wasn't a dream, and determined to reach her older sister that she loved so much, if she was only given the chance to prove it.

"Mama, Pap-" Elsa was cut off by something hitting her full force, and she realised a second later that Anna was hugging her hard. She froze again, arm still outstretched towards the door.

"Elsa, please, _please_! Don't call Mama and Papa. Don't make them come get me and take me away from you. Don't hide in your room again. I've _missed _you!" Anna began to sob into Elsa's stiff shoulder, clinging as tightly as she could to the fabric of Elsa's dark blue gown.

The sobbing would prove to be Elsa's weakness, as all the walls she had begun to build up crumbled, and she cradled Anna's head against her shoulder, willing with all her might that her magic wouldn't act up now, of all times. She brought her other arm away from her chest and wrapped Anna up in an equally as tight hug, buying her face against her shoulder as she began to cry harder.

"Please, Elsa… _Please_…" Anna whimpered pitifully.

"I won't, Anna. I won't leave you again, I promise. " She hugged Anna impossibly tighter as a tear fell and landed against the soft green fabric covering Anna's shoulder. "I promise."


	11. The Light of My Life

**Prompt: No prompt, so to speak, but it ****_is_**** basically a fleshed-out version of a roleplay I got to take part in with abeautifulability, a phenomenal Elsa roleplayer on tumblr, (if you have a tumblr, you should follow her if you don't already) in which I got to (anonymously) play her daughter. Having said that, almost all of the dialogue and actions for Elsa, after the child comes in, was written by her, so she deserves the credit for that part of the exchange.**

* * *

It had been a long, somewhat trying day in the council room, and Elsa was glad that the meeting was finally being adjourned until the following morning. With a polite nod of her head, she bade everyone present a good evening before they all dispersed and went their separate ways.

The first thing she did was have Gerda draw her a warm bath, which she then took her time enjoying, letting the warmth of the water wash over her and soothe the knots of stress that had formed during the day. When she had finished, she drained the tub and stood, wrapping a towel around herself and drying off before stepping out, dressing in a simple nightgown and robe, forgoing the pesky task of creating one with her magic, since she was far too tired and ready for a good night's rest.

Taking her hairbrush with her, Elsa began to walk back into her chambers, combing the tangles out as she moved to sit at her vanity. After she was convinced that she had gotten all the tangles out, she brought her hands up and smoothed them over her hair, which rearranged into a loose braid, before brushing her bangs back, hands glowing slightly from her magic.

"Mother, how come you can do that, and I can't?" came a voice from the doorway.

Elsa looked over to see a dark-hared, fair-skinned child, her beloved daughter, teetering towards her. She held her hands out to the child, catching her before she could fall and pulling her into her lap as she smoothed the dark locks away from her small, pale face.

"I don't know, little one," she admitted, pressing a gentle kiss to the crown of her head. "It's just something I was born with, although it didn't manifest itself till I was older." _I can only hope it's not the same with you, dear heart._

The tiny child snuggled against her mother while being held, a content smile gracing her features. "Do you want me to be able to do the pretty magic like you, mother?" She looked up at her mother with innocent, pale blue eyes.

Elsa felt her heart lurch as she looked down at the child gazing up at her with eyes so like her own, only they were free of the weariness and pain that haunted Elsa's own. She didn't want to – couldn't – lie to her own child, but she tried to be tactful. "They are beautiful," she nodded, "But they are also a great responsibility. I don't want you to have to carry that burden," she explained, hugging her tighter.

The child pouted slightly, and Elsa could tell that the child was struggling to understand why she was being held tighter, more protectively. But nevertheless, she snuggled closer, clutching the front of her mother's nightgown for comfort and leverage to keep herself upright.

"If it makes you happy, mother, I'll do my best not to have powers." She nodded with all the determination that a three year old could muster.

Elsa's heart broke a little more at the child's words, so determined to do what her mother wanted. "Oh, my sweet…" she said, her cheek coming to rest on the girl's head as she tried to fight back tears. "You shouldn't try to be anything other than what you are. I would never want you to do that."

The little girl nodded silently and stayed snuggled close to her mother, wrapping her arms as far around her as she could manage. "I love you very much, mother. Like the snow loves you!" She giggled softly and looked up at her mother again, complete and total adoration for her sparkling in her eyes.

"And I love you even more," Elsa said with a fond smile, blinking back the tears as she looked down at her daughter. "I love you the most." In truth, Elsa had been terrified when she had learned that she was with child, but her daughter was the light of her life, never failing to make her smile, no matter how sad or worried she was.

"I know you do!" The small child giggled and snuggled even closer as she gave a tiny yawn. "Mother…?" she asked quietly, waiting until she knew she had her mother's attention before continuing.

"Yes, sweetheart?" Elsa asked, looking down at the child snuggled in her lap.

"Will you tell me a story? About the day I was born?" She yawned again, moving around a bit until she was settled comfortably with her head resting against her mother's shoulder.

_The day you were born._ Elsa smiled. "You were a summer child – born on the hottest day of the year, and I had never been more grateful for my powers, for they kept me cool. You were almost a week late in coming, and I had begun to think you were never coming out. " She giggled, tickling the girl fondly, and earning a soft giggle from her before she settled back against her. "But when you finally did, and I held you in my arms for the first time, I was the happiest person in the world. You were perfect." She smiled, gazing off into the distance as she remembered the magical moment. "I knew I would love you always."

"Were you scared, mama?" The child yawned again, and her eyelids began to droop as she found it increasingly harder to stay awake in her mother's comforting embrace.

"I was," Elsa admitted, nodding her head. Oh so very scared. "But my friends helped me through – they were there for me and held my hands the entire time." She laughed softly, remembering the day. "I had never been more thankful to have your aunt than I was that day. She stayed with me the entire time I was in labor. All twelve hours of it, she never left my side. Not even for chocolate. She was one of the first to hold you, after myself." She looked down at her daughter, and could see her nodding off against her chest as she talked, and she smiled, kissing her forehead softly. She was terrified that she wouldn't make a good mother, but this beautiful, dark-haired, blue-eyed beauty was the light of her life, and she would do anything for her.

The tiny child in her arms smiled sleepily and gave one final yawn before speaking, her voice very soft now. "I'm very glad to have you as my mama…" She snuggled closer and, a few seconds later, was peacefully sleeping soundly against her mother's shoulder, one tiny hand still grasping the fabric of her gown.

"And I am so very glad to have you as a daughter," Elsa whispered, cuddling her gently and kissing the tiny hand on her chest as the child fell asleep on her shoulder. Moving very slowly and carefully, she stood and crossed over to the bed, sitting against the pile of pillows that lay against the headboard. Looking down to ensure that her precious daughter was still sleeping, she breathed a sigh of relief and kissed the top of her head again, brushing a gentle finger down her little cheek. "I am _so very glad_."


	12. Nightmare

**Prompt: Anna commits suicide and Kristoff discovers her, but it turns out it was only a nightmare that Kristoff was having?**

**This prompt was actually sent to me by Charpam21 here on FFN, so thank you for this challenging prompt.**

**Trigger Warning: Suicide**

* * *

_Something wasn't right._

_He could tell as soon as he walked into the bedroom that something was very, very wrong._

_"Anna?"_

_The only sound that greeted him was silence, broken only by the ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner, and a strange dripping noise._

_Kristoff's brow furrowed as he stepped farther into the room, following the unnatural and unsteady dripping sounds._

_"Anna?" he called again, peeking in the door that led to the adjoining dressing room. "Anna, are you in here?" He looked around, checking behind the dressing partition in the room, before sighing and heading back into the main bedroom._

_He followed the unsettling dripping sounds to the edge of the bed, and was suddenly hit with the nauseating, metallic scent of blood, tiny droplets of the substance hitting the dark, wood floor below at random intervals. Looking closer, he saw a petite, red-stained hand peeking out from under the covers, hanging off the edge of the bed, and he distantly recognised that the blood was dripping from there, but his mind was racing, focusing only on the lump in the bed and praying that his worst nightmare wasn't about to come true._

_"A-Anna?" he stumbled over the single word, voice thick with worry and fear as he put a hand on the edge of the comforter, vaguely registering that it was damp, before he pulled it back._

_The sight that met him completely broke him, and he struggled to comprehend why Anna, his wife, the one person that he loved more than life itself, was laying motionless, sharp object in hand, and blood dripping down her arm. She was…_

_He couldn't even bring himself to think it as he fell to his knees at the side of the bed, pulling her into his arms and cradling her close, pushing the hair from her eyes and kissing the top of her head, her forehead, her cheek, willing her to wake up, to look back up at him with those beautiful turquoise eyes that he loved so much._

_But nothing worked, nothing _could_ work, as he begged her to just _please_ wake up, asked_why _she had done this, wondered if it was something he'd said, something he'd done._

_And when it became clear that there was nothing more that he could do, he screamed, agonized and heartbroken._

He woke with a start, bolting upright as he ran a hand over his face, the memory of the dream, the nightmare, still vivid in his mind. He gasped and panted as he tried to catch his breath and collect himself.

"…Kristoff?"

Kristoff looked over to see a pile of messy, red hair, and sleepy turquoise eyes filled with concern as Anna placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Kris?"

Kristoff pulled her close, cupping her face gently and staring at her with an intensity that Anna didn't understand.

"Kristoff? Are you alright?" she blinked the sleepiness from her eyes and placed her hands over his, studying him worriedly. "Did you… Did you have a bad dream?"

Kristoff only pulled her into a tight hug, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close.

"…Kristoff?"

"Please… Just…" He pulled back to meet her gaze once again, and Anna saw that there were tears in his eyes. She'd never seen him cry before, Kristoff was just one of those people that didn't seem to cry. And, now that she was faced with it, she was completely unsettled at the sight.

"Just… _Promise_ me you'll always tell me if you're feeling sad, okay?"

He sounded so broken, and distressed, and Anna could feel her heart sink as she tried to imagine what sort of terrible nightmare had brought this on.

"Oh, Kristoff…" She pulled him back into a hug and he nuzzled his face into her neck as silent sobs wracked his body. It was the best she could do to rub his back and hold him tight in silence as she stared blankly at the aurora borealis outside of the bedroom window.


	13. A Day in Arendelle

**Prompt: Olaf explores the town, like Elsa always wished she could.**

* * *

"Hey, Elsa!"

Elsa glanced up from her paperwork to see a familiar snowman waddling into her study. She smiled, though she'd already turned back to her desk.

"Hello, Olaf."

The snowman grinned as he looked over Elsa's arm to try and peek at what was on her desk. "What'cha doing?"

Elsa gave a half-hearted smile as she made a note and flipped to the next page. "Paperwork, Olaf. It comes with being queen."

"Oh." Olaf nodded in understanding. "Can we play a game?"

Elsa finally looked up from her work and smiled sadly, patting Olaf's head. "I truly wish that I could, Olaf, but I need to focus on my duties right now. We can play later, though."

"Oh…" Olaf frowned for all of two seconds, then immediately perked back up. "What can I do until then?"

Elsa bit her lip as she thought. "Well… You could always go explore the town. I remember that was always something I longed to do when I was younger," she suggested.

"Okay, I'll do that!" He grinned and turned with a wave. "Bye, Elsa! Good luck with your queenly duties!"

Elsa smiled softly, already turning back to go over her papers again.

It didn't take Olaf long to waddle past the open gates of the castle, and he grinned, eyes wide with wonder as he took everything in. It wasn't the first time that he had been out and about in the town, not by a long shot, but it never failed to bring him joy to see all the people and children around.

Catching sight of one of the docks, he waddled over there first, saying a polite, yet eager "hi!" to everyone who passed his way. He took in all the sights he could, the fishermen heaving the day's catch onto the dock, the brightly coloured flags and remarkably large sails on all of the boats, and the tiny children running back and forth, at play.

From there, he decided to go visit the town square, admiring all of the wares for sale, and, as was usual of the cheery snowman, said hello to any and all who caught his eye.

So much fun had he that he did not realize that the sun was starting to set until the townspeople began to pack their belongings and return to their homes. Remembering that there was one more thing that he still needed to do, he shrieked in alarm and scurried off to his final destination, going as fast as his little legs would take him.

It wasn't long after that that Olaf found himself back in the castle, hands behind his back as he entered Elsa's study, finding the queen standing from her desk and stretching, before she turned slightly, gaze finally landing on him.

"Oh, Olaf! There you are. Did you have a pleasant afternoon in town?" She smiled as she knelt down to be closer to his height.

"I did! And, I got you a present, Elsa, as thanks for suggesting such a good idea." He ducked his head bashfully as he held a small box out to her.

"Olaf, you needn't have gotten me anything." Nevertheless, she politely took the box from him and opened it, grinning widely and letting out a soft chuckle. "Chocolate? You know me so well, Olaf." She held her arms out, and Olaf giggled happily as he hurried forward into his warm hug. "Thank you."

"Thank _you_, Elsa." The snowman smiled contently. What a great way to end a wonderful afternoon.


	14. Sailing

**Prompt: Self-prompted, this time. I wanted to explore how Anna might react to Elsa having to leave Arendelle via ship, considering what happened with their parents.**

* * *

Perhaps the fear was only due to the fact that it was the first time one of them had been on a boat.

The more likely reason was that she was painfully aware of what had happened the last time someone she loved had been on a boat that sailed away from Arendelle.

When Elsa had first told her that she was leaving Arendelle to go to a nearby country for business, Anna had insisted that she go with her, for company and, if needed, a second opinion.

But Elsa had declined, saying that she needed Anna to stay behind, to rule the kingdom in her place while she was gone.

The discussion had not gone without some hitches. Anna threw quite the temper tantrum, insisting that it wasn't fair that she got left behind, and that she should go, as the queen's right hand. She'd never revealed that she was terrified of something horrible happening, causing the ship to sink.

Elsa had argued back just as vehemently, ultimately resorting to her favoured "I am Queen, and what I say, goes" tactic that she seemed to love using when it came to spats between her and her sister.

That had been a few days ago, and they hadn't spoken since. But today was the day that Elsa was scheduled to leave, and Anna, feeling guilty, found herself standing on the docks, waiting for her sister, so she could apologise, fearful of Elsa leaving on bad terms and then, heaven forbid, something happening to her.

Anna stood on the dock, wringing her hands nervously as she watched shiphands carry Elsa's belongings on board. She watched as the sails were unfurled and snapped against the wind, while various commands were barked from someone aboard the ship. She did not look away until she felt a gentle weight on her shoulder. She turned to find Elsa standing before her, an apologetic smile gracing her features.

"Anna… I'm sorry. For what I said, and how I acted. I just…" She paused, and moved to hold Anna's face gently in both of her hands, so she could hold her gaze. "I _need_ you to stay in Arendelle, while I'm away. It's only for a month. You'll be fine, Anna."

Anna hung her head slightly, still ashamed of how she had initially days before. "I know… And I'm sorry, too, for my childish tantrum, and for yelling at you. I'm just so…" She trailed off then, and the tears that had been threatening to fall all morning finally spilled over, and she struggled to speak over the lump in her throat, voice barely above a whisper. "I'm terrified that something will go wrong and that the ship will…"

Elsa frowned and wiped the tears from Anna's face gently, and, all at once, understood her sister's fear. It was one that she'd had, too, when she had first realised that she would have to sail to get to where she had to go. She pulled her into a tight hug, resting her chin on her shoulder, hoping that she could somewhat soothe her sister's mind. "Oh, Anna… I'll be okay. I promise. And _should_ anything happen, I've got my powers, and they're under better control now, and I can use them, should it become necessary to. You needn't worry." She pulled back now, studying Anna's face quietly. "I'll write to you as soon as I arrive at the port. Perhaps the letter will be able to get to you before I head back to Arendelle. Alright?'

Anna sniffled and nodded. "Okay. That… that sounds alright." She ungracefully wiped her nose against her sleeve, and Elsa chuckled and shook her head slightly.

The moment was interrupted as the captain of the ship called down to tell Elsa that it was time to come aboard.

"I'll see you in four weeks, Anna. That's a _promise_." She held her arms out, and Anna fell into them again, sniffling as they shared a tight embrace.

The captain called again, and Elsa pulled away, gathering her skirts as she stepped aboard the plank to board the ship. "I love you, little snowbug." She gave a soft, sincere smile before turning and walking carefully aboard.

"I love you, too!" Anna waved as Elsa turned back around once she was safely aboard. "Bye!" She stayed there for a long time, watching the ship as it began to move, watching as it sailed out onto the fjord, waving as long as she could still see Elsa waving back at her. The sinking feeling was still there, and it would probably remain there until she knew Elsa was back safe and sound, but she felt a little better when a single snowflake flew back to her, landing on her cheek gently. Elsa would be just fine.


	15. The Little Prince of Arendelle

**Prompt: Puppies!**

* * *

Anna struggled to keep the wiggling creature still as she held it behind her back. It gave a quiet whine, and she sent a soft "sh!" over her shoulder as she approached Elsa's study. Using her foot, she thumped against the door, which opened slightly under the force.

"Come in, Anna!" Elsa's voice called softly from within.

Using her foot again, Anna nudged the door open all the way and peeked her head in. "How'd you know it was me?" She came the rest of the way in, still trying to hide the small creature behind her back.

Elsa turned to face her sister and smirked. "I'd know the thump of your boot against a door anywhere. It's quite heavy and loud," she teased, earning an amused face from Anna. She tilted her head questioningly as she noticed that her sister's arms were held behind her back. "Anna, what is that?" She nodded in her direction.

"What's what?" She feigned innocence, but was interrupted by the creature wiggling again, causing her to bend forward awkwardly.

"That." Elsa arched a single regal eyebrow, and Anna knew her game was up.

"Oh. That…" She took a deep breath and began to speak quickly. "Okay, so you know how you said you felt bad because you can't always play with me as much as you'd like to?"

Elsa's brow furrowed, but she nodded. "Yes…"

"And remember how you said that maybe I should find a new friend to play with?"

Elsa blinked slowly as she understood the direction this was probably going in. "Ann-"

She was cut off by a tiny bark and a little yelp. Anna gasped as a little ball of dark fur bounded towards Elsa.

"Elsa, okay, I'm sorry for doing it so suddenly, but he was all alone on the street, and no one knew who he belonged to, and he didn't have a collar, and how could I say no to his wittle puppy face?" Anna knelt down next to the puppy, who was sat at Elsa's feet, yapping up at her and wagging his little curled tail.

"Anna…" Elsa sighed, watching the dog somewhat warily.

"I know it's probably not what you had in mind, but I promise to play with him, and love him, and potty train him, and feed him, and-"

"Anna, do you even know what he _eats_?" Elsa could already feel herself giving in.

"…Kristoff said he's called a buhund?" Anna offered as an answer to her sister's question. "But I really will take care of him, and he can be, like, a royal pet. The Prince of Arendelle, that can be his title." Anna pouted up at her sister.

Elsa sighed. But both girls knew that Elsa could deny her sister nothing, and so she leaned down to scratch his head, earning a slobbery kiss from the pup.

"Alright. But you are to have _full_ responsibility, am I understood?"

"Yes! Thank you, Elsa! Thank you, thank you, _thank you_!" Anna launched herself at Elsa, hugging her tightly as the puppy pranced around them eagerly.

Elsa had a feeling that she'd end up doing most of the work, but, to be completely honest, the look of happiness on her sister's face made it all worth it.


	16. Argument

**Prompt: Self-prompted. I wanted to explore what their first argument post-Great Thaw would be like, if Elsa made a bad move and closed the door in Anna's face.**

* * *

"I don't believe you!"

"_Me_? I don't believe _you_!"

Elsa huffed and started stalking down the hallway in the direction of her room. This was the first real fight that they'd had since the Great Thaw. As expected, the blissfulness of finally being together had worn off and the girls had begun to learn more about each other, which, of course, meant that they found out the things about each other that they didn't particularly _like_.

"Oh, so now you're just going to walk away? Well, I have news for you, Elsa, I'm not through talking!"

"Yes. You are." Elsa sped her pace up, her hands balled into tight fists as she tried to keep her cool and not get angry enough that she might lose control of her powers.

"I just don't see what the problem is!" Anna called exasperatedly, not giving up as she chased after her.

"Of course you don't, you never have. You've never cared about how the things you do are reckless and dangerous, and could end in you getting hurt!" Elsa approached her door and opened it, moving to step inside.

"And _you've_ never cared about _me_!"

Elsa froze. That was the wrong thing to say, and Anna knew it the second the sentence left her mouth. Immediately, she reached for Elsa's hand, and opened her mouth to apologise, but Elsa pulled away harshly.

There was an unbearably tense silence as Elsa inhaled and then exhaled very slowly.

"Fine. If you want to endanger your life continuously, go right ahead, but I will have no part in it."

_Slam!_

Anna blinked twice before she realised that, with a cold gust of wind, Elsa had slammed her bedroom door shut right in her face. As she looked up at the white door before her, she felt a dreadful sense of déjà vu as she remembered thirteen years of standing in much the same position, begging her sister to come out just once.

She began to panic. Throwing herself against the door, she banged her palm against the painted wood with all the strength she could manage.

"Elsa! Elsa, please, _please_! Elsa, I'm sorry!" Tears began to blur her vision, and desperate sobs shook her. Vaguely, she was aware that this probably seemed childish, but she was too afraid to care. "Elsa, I'm sorry! I'm sorry, please! _Please_! I promise I'll be more careful, I promise I won't even ever go outside again, please!" She crumpled to her knees, forehead and palm pressed against the door. "Please don't shut me out again…" she whimpered.

As quickly as the door had closed, it flew back open again, and, as Elsa looked down at her sobbing sister, she immediately realised the terrible mistake that she had made, and sank down to her knees in front of her sister, gathering her in her arms and holding her tightly, rocking her back and forth as she cradled her head against her shoulder.

"Anna, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…" she whispered, rubbing her back soothingly as she rested her chin atop her sister's head. "I promise I won't ever close the door on you like that again." She closed her eyes and held Anna closer, more protectively, as she sobbed again and wrapped her arms around her older sister. "I promise."


	17. The Little Princess of Arendelle

**Prompt: Kittens!**

* * *

Elsa was being quiet.

Not that that was really a bad thing. She was always quiet, usually because she was holed up in her study, doing some sort of paperwork or reading over a treaty or trade agreement, or sometimes she had to spend entire days in the council room, meetings lasting well into the evening on most nights.

No, Elsa being quiet was nothing to fret over. But since Anna had already checked both the council room and Elsa's study, that meant that this wasn't a normal "Elsa quiet."

So now, Anna was on a mission to find where her sister was hidden away.

The library? No. Nothing but dusty shelves, books, and empty chairs.

The kitchens? No, Elsa never went there unless she and Anna wanted to bake something together.

The dining room? No. Elsa didn't eat much, hardly at all, which, truthfully, scared Anna, but she was working on it.

Finally, and painfully obvious as the place she should have looked first, Elsa's room. As she tiptoed closer, she heard Elsa speaking softly in a gentle, playful tone. That was… new. Not the talking to herself part, Anna found out early on that that was just something that Elsa did. But the tone of her voice was very different, almost like she was talking to someone other than herself. Disregarding knocking, she pushed the bedroom door open and waltzed right in.

"Elsa?" Anna looked around before spotting Elsa sitting in an armchair, which she had moved to be facing the window.

"Anna?" Elsa looked over her shoulder and grinned. She stood, starting to walk towards Anna, and Anna could see that she had something small cupped in her hand.

"What'cha got?" Anna bounded over to her sister, curiosity getting the better of her. She peeked over Elsa's arm and saw a tiny white ball of fluff looking up at her with pale eyes. "Ooh, a kitten! Wait, what? A kitten?"

Elsa laughed. "Surely you did not think that you were the only one in the castle who is allowed a pet? Although, I must admit, I was a little… apprehensive about taking on my own pet, but… She seemed to choose me, when I was out walking in the gardens. She pranced right up and pawed at my shoe. I saw no mother, and she looked so small. I picked her up and she seemed to be okay with it, so I brought her in. Perhaps she'll be good for me, help me with opening up more…"

Anna smiled at Elsa before reaching out to pet the kitten, who promptly swatted at her hand and hissed slightly. Anna pouted and pulled her hand back. "I don't like her."

Elsa laughed. "You only say that because she has yet to warm up to you. Give her time."

Anna made a face. "Elsa, do you even know what she eats?" she teased, recalling the conversation from when she'd brought home her puppy, who was currently sleeping in the stables.

Elsa rolled her eyes playfully. "The Princess of Arendelle, that can be her title," she quipped back and they both laughed.

Anna looked from the kitten to Elsa's face, taking in her sister's content smile as she stroked behind the tiny kitten's ear. "Alright, fine. I'll let you keep her."

Elsa laughed again. "While I thank you for your permission, it isn't up to you, I'm afraid. I'm the queen and what I say goes, so she's staying, regardless."

Anna made another face at Elsa before leaning her head against her shoulder as she looked down at the kitten, who was now snoozing, curled up in her palms. She narrowed her eyes, not truly believing for a second that this cat was so innocent.

Elsa watched her and laughed lightly. "Just give her time to warm up to you."

"Like I did for you?"

Elsa smiled. "Yes. Like you did for me."


	18. Different

**Prompt: How about Anna being out in the town and realising she's not like everyone else?**

**Sorry this one is late. I'm housesitting, and I had to work around to find a way to use a computer, but luckily, my laptop was fixed and I was able to pick it up today, so problem solved. I'll make it up to you tomorrow with a fluffy installment. Promise.**

* * *

All she had wanted was a normal evening walk in the town. She didn't ask for the sudden wave of self-consciousness that decided to hit her at full force.  
The walk had started out as most of her evening walks did. She'd walked with Kristoff to the small house he now resided in at the edge of town, and, after saying good bye and good night, had headed back to the castle, waving to all she passed.

She had almost reached the small town square when she first noticed the people staring. She didn't think much of it, at first. Maybe they were still just not used to seeing members of the royal family out. So she shrugged it off and kept going.

As she passed through the town square and continued towards the castle, she began to hear the whispers. She couldn't make out most of what people were saying, but she definitely heard her name, and her sister's, as well. More than a little confused and worried now, she bit her lip and picked up her pace, and was soon back on the castle and away from the whispers and stares.

She kept walking as she entered the castle, not paying any attention as to where she was going. Just as she passed the doors to the council room, Elsa happened to come out, almost knocking into her. She made to apologise, but when she realised Anna hadn't even noticed her, she immediately knew that something had to be wrong.

"Anna?" She chased after her until she was right beside her, but still received no answer from Anna, who seemed to be deep in thought, her brow creased. "Anna?" She called again, and, this time, stepped in front of her sister, putting her hands gently on her shoulders.

That seemed to do the trick, because now Anna blinked and looked up at her sister. "Elsa?"

"Anna, are you alright? I've been trying to get your attention for the past few minutes." Elsa watched her with worried eyes.

"Yeah… Yeah, I just…" She sighed. "I was out in the town, you know, like normal, and I noticed that people were staring, so I was like, 'maybe they're just excited to see me out and around after being cooped in the castle for thirteen years,' but then people were whispering, too, and I couldn't hear much, but I heard our names, and now I'm wondering if I did something wrong, which sounds like something I would do because I don't always think before speaking or acting, and now I'm worried that the people might not like us." She took a deep breath as she finished her rant.

"Anna." Elsa laughed softly, a bit sadly. "We're the queen and princess of Arendelle. You and I will always be different, and we will always be treated differently, and people's tongues will always wag on about us." Elsa gently patted her sister's cheek. "It comes with the title, I'm afraid."

"Yeah, well… I don't like it." Anna sniffled and Elsa frowned.

"Come now, Anna. It's nothing to cry about, really. I've never known you to care about other's opinions so much." She held her arms out and Anna fell into them as she sniffled more.

"I don't care about other's opinions of me," she admitted. "I don't want people to judge you for everything that happened…"

Elsa smiled softly and kissed the top of her sister's head. "You were always so selfless in that way. I'll be fine, you needn't worry about me."

"Someone has to."


	19. Knitting and Kicking

**Prompt: Knitting!**

* * *

Elsa wasn't sure why she had subjected herself to such torture.

If you had given her a needle and thread and asked her to sew something, she would have been perfectly fine. Or, if you'd asked her to simply make something with her powers, she would have been more than happy to oblige.

But if you gave her two knitting needles and some yarn and asked her to darn a single pair of baby booties, you got one frustrated snow queen, and her very amused sister, who was trying to help as much as she could between bouts of laughter.

"I don't understand why I can't just make the baby something with my powers." Elsa glared at the needles and yarn piled in her lap.

Anna laughed and rolled her eyes. "Elsa, you can't let the baby have cold feet, that's not good."

"What do you mean, 'cold feet?' I made you an ice dress, and you never once complained about being cold."

"Maybe I was just being nice," Anna teased.

"Anna!" Elsa cried, exasperated.

"I'm only teasing, Els. But you're making it sound so hard. It's just knit one, purl two, see?" She demonstrated.

"'Knit one, purl two, knit one, purl two,' I can't do it, Anna!" She picked the needles up and threw them across the room in a rare flare of temper.

Anna laughed again and set her own knitting down. "I think you need a break and some chocolate. You're all hormones and no fun right now." Anna stood and walked over to her sister, helping her stand.

"Well, I'm never one to say no to chocolate." She stood, with Anna's help, thanking her before bringing her hands to rest on her swollen belly.

Anna looped her arm through her sister's as they headed towards the kitchen. After a small silence, she glanced over at her older sister. "You're getting closer and closer to delivering. Are you excited?"

"Among other things," Elsa admitted, rubbing gentle circles over her stomach.

"Nope. I'm stopping you right there, no worrying right now, it's chocolate time." She grinned as they arrived in the kitchens, letting go of Elsa's arm and turning to rummage in the pantry for their private stash of chocolate. She whipped around immediately when she heard Elsa give a tiny gasp. "Elsa?"

Elsa stood, hunched slightly, with both hands on her stomach, a look of awe on her face, and a tear trickling down one cheek.

"Elsa, are you hurt? What's wrong?" Anna rushed to her side.

Elsa shook her head as another tear fell. "The baby… The baby kicked…"

Anna smiled gently as she watched her sister rub her belly gently, her eyes full of love as she laughed softly.

"Anna, feel!" Elsa took her sister's hand and laid it on her stomach as the baby kicked again.

Anna smiled. "It's an amazing feeling, feeling your baby kick for the first time. Just wait until you get to hold the baby for the first time. You'll completely fall in love with him or her."

Elsa smiled as she continued to rub her stomach. "I already love her more than life itself."

"Her?" Anna asked. "You think it's a girl?"

Elsa grinned. "I know she is."


	20. Wilderness Survival Gone Wrong

**Prompt: Kristoff takes Anna to the mountains to teach her to survive, but an accident happens.**

* * *

"Okay, so what you're gonna do is put that foot on that ledge down there, but make sure you've got a good grip with your hand, just in case, alright, Feistypants?"

"If you don't stop babying me, Kristoff, so help me I will come down there and show you some… some stuff." Anna called over her shoulder from her spot on a cliff face. She was only about a dozen or so feet above Kristoff, who was standing on the ground beneath her, and neither were worried too much about her safety.

"I'm shaking in my boots, Anna. Just stay focused on what you're doing," Kristoff warned gently.

"Oh, I'm focused. Focused on getting down there to teach you a lesson." Anna teased.

"_I'm_ supposed to be teaching _you_ about climbing, you know, so you can survive out here on our own the next time you need to find your sister."

"Ha ha. Kristoff, I'm _fine_, don't get your bloomers in a twist!"

It happened so fast, neither could react quickly enough to do anything to stop it. Anna moved a foot down, but the ledge wasn't sturdy enough, and it gave out underneath her weight. Time seemed to slow as Anna's arms flailed, trying to find something to hold on to. She was falling through the air for what seemed like forever, and then there was a sickening thud as she hit the ground.

"Anna!" Kristoff was at her side in a split second. She had landed face down, but her head had knocked against a large rock that was jutting out from the cliff. "Anna, can you hear me?" He turned her over gently, and saw the wound on her head, which was bleeding profusely. Other than that, she looked uninjured.

Kristoff gently pulled her into his lap, ripping off a bit of his shirt to press against her wound. "Come on, Anna. Wake up. Show me those beautiful brown eyes."

Anna gave a pained chuckle, and opened one eye slowly. "My eyes are _teal_, Kristoff."

"But you're awake now. And you're gonna be okay. Just hold on, Anna."

Anna nodded as best she could as Kristoff stood and called Sven over, climbing up while keeping Anna cradled against him. "Come on, Sven!"

* * *

Kristoff sighed as he leaned against the wall across from Anna's bedroom, scrunching his hat in his hands as he waited nervously. He looked up when he heard the door open.

Elsa came out and ran a hand over her braid with a tired sigh as she walked over to Kristoff.

"Elsa, I am so sorry that this happened, if there is anything I can do to-"

Elsa silenced him with a hand on his shoulder. "Kristoff, it wasn't your fault, you needn't worry so. Accidents happen. I've got the bleeding stopped, and she has an icepack, and she's lucid. She'll be a little bruised and beat up for a while, but she'll be okay."

Kristoff sighed. "I hope so."


	21. The Tickle-Torturing of the Queen

**Prompt: Anna finds out Elsa`s ticklish & tickle tortures her?**

* * *

It had been a long day. That was, of course, to be expected, what with everything the kingdom of Arendelle had gone through in just the past few days, let alone the excruciating events that had happened today.

But now that it was nighttime, the festivities, enjoyed by all who were glad to have their queen back, had drawn to a close, and, with all of the foreign dignitaries on their way back to their countries, and the people of the kingdom headed back to their homes for the night, the castle courtyard was once again silent.

As the front doors of the castle closed, the royalty of Arendelle leaned heavily against them before looking up to meet each other's gaze. After a moment of comfortable silence as the two simply took each other in, Anna spoke up.

"Hi, Elsa!" She beamed happily as she watched her older sister.

"Hello, Anna." Elsa grinned back just as contently.

"Sleepover?" Anna questioned meekly, biting her lip as she waited for a response.

Elsa paused, and Anna winced at the slight hesitation, still so afraid that her sister might shut her out again.

"Of course, Anna! Race you to my room!" And with all the energy of her eight year old self again, she took off, forgetting all manner of being proper and leaving Anna to watch her in a slight daze before she, too, grinned and took off after her, giggling like a madwoman.

Just as she reached the top of the stairs, she caught sight of the hem of her sister's gown whipping around the corner of the hallway that led to her chambers. Anna sped up and ran after her, turning the corner and sliding until she was right in front of her sister's room. And all of a sudden, she was reminded of thirteen years, staring at a white door and begging her sister to come out or let her in, and she paused. Fiddling nervously with her hands, she hesitated, despite the door being wide open for her.

"Anna?"

Anna blinked and realized her sister was now standing in the doorway, smiling sadly at her, slowly holding her hand out for her sister to take. Anna smiled and reached forward to take it, and was immediately pulled into the room eagerly.

"Come on!" Elsa laughed as she swung her sister into the room, spinning them gleefully in circles as they both giggled, simply enjoying each other's presence after so long without seeing each other. The next moment, Elsa moved slightly, and they landed with an 'oof' on her bed, and they began to laugh harder.

Elsa was the first to recover as she sat up, resting her hand over her sister's and patting it affectionately as she watched her sister slowly stop laughing.

Anna looked up at her, a grin threatening to split her face in two as she spoke. "Can things be like this all the time now?"

Elsa smiled gently at her sister and squeezed her hand. "Yes. They can."

Anna couldn't help the delighted squeal that escaped as she sat up enough to lounge back on her elbows. "Good. I like this. I think we should declare an open door policy, effective immediately!" She grinned and made to nudge her elbow at Elsa's side, eliciting a shocked squeak from the blonde girl. Anna raised an eyebrow before smirking as understanding set in. "Elsa, are you ticklish?"

Elsa bit her lip as she looked at her sister with wide eyes. "No…?"

"Are you… sure?" With her final word, Anna lunged at her sister, sweeping her fingers down her sides as Elsa shrieked and squirmed. "Elsa's ticklish, Elsa's ticklish!" she sing-songed playfully as she kept up her tickling.

"No! 'M not!" Elsa managed between bouts of giggling.

Anna only responded with more tickling, at which point Elsa began to try and worm her way out of her sister's grip.

"Uh, uh, uh! Say you're ticklish, and _maybe_ I'll stop." Anna grinned cheekily as she continued her playfully torturing of the queen.

"O-okay. I'm…" She paused as she laughed and squirmed more. "I'm t-ticklish!"

Anna nodded approvingly. "Alright, fine. I'll stop. For now." She flopped down on her back, lying next to her sister.

Elsa grinned as she slowly caught her breath, turning her head so she could face her sister. "Hey, Anna." She poked her nose gently to get her attention. "D'ya wanna build a snowman?"


	22. A Visit to Corona

**Prompt: Elsa and Anna visiting Corona.**

**Note: This is part one of a two-part little thing, since both prompts are kind of related. Tomorrow will be the second part.**

* * *

Anna stood against the railing of the ship, watching as they drew nearer and nearer to one of the docks in the port of Corona. The wind, which had been quite calm for the entirety of their journey, was now almost the opposite of that, tossing Anna's twin braids harshly. For a brief moment, Anna wondered if it wasn't the Corona weather, but perhaps the unease that had been rolling off of Elsa since before they'd even left Arendelle. Elsa's powers were under better control, yes, but there were a select few times that Elsa's worry still got the best of her.

But Anna understood, especially on a day such as this one. This was their first visit to Corona, and the first time, in their memory, meeting the king and queen of Corona, and their daughter. Anna, as always, was excited to meet new people, but Elsa had been nervous, particularly when she had reminded Anna that the queen of Corona was their aunt, their father's sister. Anna had never been able to quite put a finger on what exactly made her sister so nervous about that, but there was no denying it, not when she felt the temperature drop ever so slightly whenever that particular subject was brought up with her sister.

Of course, all of that still paled in comparison to the one thing both sisters refused to talk about. Their parents had been headed to Corona when the accident had happened. They had been heading to a wedding there. The subject of their parents' death was always touchy, for both girls, made even more upsetting when they recalled the circumstances they had been under when it had happened. But the past was in the past, and they were, very slowly, learning to let things go and move on.

Anna was pulled from her silent revelry when, from the corner of her eye, she saw her sister step beside her, the worry in her eyes betraying her otherwise stoic expression. Anna silently slid her hand into her sister's and squeezed gently.

"It's gonna be okay, Elsa." Anna finally tilted her head so she could fully face her sister.

Elsa worried her braid with her free hand, her eyes flitting nervously to and fro, unsure where to settle her gaze before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"What if I say something wrong? What if I _do_ something wrong, what if-"

"Elsa." Anna pulled her sister into a tight hug, resting her chin on her shoulder. "We're only visiting family. We're not here on royal business, or with a trading agenda, not this time. The only thing you can say wrong is nothing at all. They're just trying to reconnect with us, after all that's happened." Anna pulled away and turned back to look at the dock as the captain began to bark orders to the shiphands as they arrived. As she looked at all the people on the dock, she caught sight of an older-looking pair, both with crowns on, and, off to the side a bit, a younger girl, presumably their daughter. "I think that's them." Anna nodded her head slightly in their direction.

Elsa looked over and tensed slightly, and Anna swore she could feel her sister's hand get slightly colder, so she squeezed her hand tighter.

"You're okay, Elsa. You can do this, _we_ can do this." Anna gave her her best reassuring smile. It seemed to do the trick, for Elsa visibly relaxed.

"Your Majesty, the ship is docked, and it is now safe to go ashore." The captain bowed and gestured towards the wooden plank leading down to the dock.

"Thank you, Captain." She bowed her head politely before turning back to Anna. "Ready?"

"Ready." Anna nodded once, and eagerly looped her arm through her sister's as they began to walk carefully down to the dock.

Elsa continued to take deep breaths as they drew nearer to the king and queen of Corona. It wasn't that she was nervous about meeting them because she disliked them, not at all. In truth, she hardly knew them, and that would be an unfair judgment to bestow on them. But deep down, she supposed she was worried that seeing her aunt might remind her of her father, and would bring up some of the hurt that she'd been trying for so long to forget, and she'd remember how much it still hurt to not have her father, and her mother, around anymore.

Anna pulled them to a stop, bringing Elsa back to the present, as they stood before the royalty of Corona. Anna dipped into a polite curtsey, and Elsa bowed her head.

"Your Majesties," Elsa began, but as she looked up to properly greet them, she fell silent. She saw so much of their father in their aunt. They had the same eyes, the same kind smile. Their aunt even had the same swoop in her hair that Elsa had always giggled about to her father as a child. She brought a hand to her mouth as she felt her eyes begin to sting with tears.

The queen of Corona seemed to notice Elsa's stunned silence, and she smiled sadly, understandingly, as she slowly stepped forward, arms held out slightly.

And Elsa ran forward, seeking comfort in this practical stranger who resembled their father so much, this person who, she bitterly realised, she had blindly placed partial blame on for her father's death, because who else was she supposed to blame, when they had been going to _their_ kingdom? She cried as their aunt held her closer. She apologized, for nothing at all and for everything she couldn't find the words to convey. For the first time since she'd locked herself away, Elsa was a child again, a young girl seeking comfort from someone who could maybe make things all better again.

And the queen continued to hold her, rubbed her back soothingly, and gently shushed her. "It's okay." The queen's voice, Elsa noted, was thick with her own tears. "It's okay."


	23. A Sleepover Fit for Royalty

**Prompt(s): Elsa, Anna and Rapunzel have a sleepover; Anna, Elsa, and Rapunzel playing darts.**

**Note: And here's part two, continued from yesterday.**

* * *

After tears had been dried, and all had been properly introduced, the king of Corona suggested they go on to the castle, since the ship had arrived late evening, and the sun was beginning to set. With content smiles and eased hearts, they all enjoyed each other's company on the short walk to the castle, and over a hearty dinner rich with many of the foods and goods native to Corona.

After thanking their hosts for their gracious hospitality and wonderful food, Elsa and Anna departed for the evening, with Rapunzel showing them to their chambers.

"I like your hair," Anna piped up as they walked down one of the many halls, glancing briefly at one of the many suns that decorated the castle's interior.

"Thank you." Rapunzel smiled and tucked a strand behind her ear.

"I've always wanted short hair," Anna continued. "This one time when I was a child, I got _really_ bored, so I decided to see what I would look like with short hair, so I cut it off myself. Mother and father were not pleased when I tried to explain myself, but-"

"Anna," Elsa chided playfully, laughing behind her hand. "Give Rapunzel time to speak, as well. I do think you talked enough at dinner," she teased, causing the younger girl to blush.

"It's alright!" Rapunzel assured. "I loved hearing all of her stories about Arendelle. I didn't get out much until I was eighteen. It's a long story." She grimaced, but shrugged as they came to a stop in front of a door. "Anna, you can stay in this room, and just down the hall is your room, Elsa. The rooms are adjoined with a dressing room, should you wish to go back and forth easily. If you need anything at all, my room is right down the hall and around the corner. It's the door with the paintings all over it, you can't miss it."

Suddenly, Anna gasped loudly, and Elsa nearly jumped out of her skin as she pressed a hand to her heart, frost covering her fingertips, but quickly melting.

"Weeeeeeee should have a sleepover! Just the three of us girls! How fun would that be?!" Anna bounced on her toes, hands clasped together under her chin.

"Anna…" Elsa paused, not wanting to impose, and unsure if it would be okay with Rapunzel.

"Please?" Anna put on her best pleading pout.

Elsa bit her lip before looking to Rapunzel for approval.

"I'm in! I've never had a sleepover before, except with Pascal, but he's a chameleon, so he doesn't really count." Rapunzel smiled brightly.

Elsa sighed, but smiled. "Alright. Sleepover, it is."

Anna squealed and launched herself at Elsa, hugging her happily. "Thank you! It'll be totally fun, I promise!"

"Let me change, and I'll be right back! This will be so fun! I've got lots of games we can play, too!"

Rapunzel raced off, presumably to her room.

And that was how Elsa found herself in the company of two very excited girls and surrounded by an array of games and activities with which to occupy themselves. Not that Elsa really minded in the least.

"So… Do you paint faces very often?" Anna giggled as she looked in the mirror, admiring the flowers that had been painted across her forehead, around her eyes, and down her cheeks. She turned back to watch as Rapunzel dipped a paintbrush into some blue paint and then turned back to look at Elsa, who was looking amused, if not slightly tentative about being painted on.

"Only when Eugene and I are off visiting the children at the orphanage. That's why he isn't here tonight, he's in a neighbouring village, to help with their orphanage."

Anna nodded as she watched Rapunzel paint. "Elsa, you look so beautiful! Not that you don't always look beautiful, because you do, it's just that this shade of blue really brings out your eyes."

"Just one… more… and… There we go, you're done." Rapunzel took the hand mirror from Anna and gave it to Elsa.

Elsa smiled slowly as she saw the flurry of snowflakes swirling around her face. "It's beautiful, you have great talent."

"Thank you."

Anna gasped loudly again, and Elsa rolled her eyes playfully before looking to see what had gotten her sister's attention now.

"Can we play darts next? I've never played before, actually, so I'll just watch you guys play first." She picked up the dartboard before gasping excitedly once again. "I know! I can hold the dartboard for you!"

Rapunzel laughed, and Elsa immediately hurried to her sister and took the board away from her.

"That's completely unnecessary, Anna, I assure you, but thank you for the offer."

Anna pouted, but shrugged as she moved to sit down on the bed. "I'll just watch, then."

Elsa nodded, and, with a wave of her hand, created a small pillar of ice on which she hung the dartboard, and the game began shortly afterwards.

It did not take long for Rapunzel to win. She explained that, after years of practice, it was pretty hard for anyone to beat her.

"Anna, are you ready to try? It's pretty simple." Elsa handed her the darts. "Here, throw one for practice."

Anna nodded and took the darts and bounded over to stand in front of the dartboard and threw one after only a second of aiming.

Elsa shook her head as the dart landed close to the bottom of the ice pillar, and a good two feet below the board.

"Oops. Oh, well." Anna shrugged and laughed. "I'll do better when we actually play, I promise."

"Okay. But loser has to clean the paintbrushes," Rapunzel decided.

Anna's eyes narrowed as she looked back to dartboard, focusing more now. "Oh, you are_ so_ on."

Five minutes later, and Anna was eating her words.

"You did… well, for your first try, though," Elsa pointed out as she took a paintbrush from her and dried it off.

Anna grumbled and continued to wash the brushes as Rapunzel came back over after putting the dartboard away and cleaning the slight puddle that had been left from Elsa's ice pillar.

"What shall we do next?"

Elsa caught Anna's eye, raised an eyebrow, and they both grinned before Elsa turned back to Rapunzel.

"Do you wanna build a snowman?"

Rapunzel clapped eagerly. "I've never built a snowman before!"

Anna grinned. "Allow us to teach you our ways."


	24. Don't Run

**Prompt: I always wondered if Elsa's father ever sat down and had a talk with her about what she should do in the event that her powers were discovered and they weren't there to help her? And what would have that conversation have been like and how does it tie in to her reaction/running away in the movie when her powers are revealed?**

* * *

Sunday nights were Elsa's favourite nights. Those were the nights her parents would come to visit, the nights she would allow herself to ask about Anna, to learn how her sister had and hadn't changed. In the seven years she'd spent alone, locked away from her sister, Elsa had learned many things about the girl she longed to know, but not enough, _never_ enough, to fill the empty, self-inflicted hole that resided in her heart since that night long ago.

As the lock on her door clicked and the handle turned, Elsa looked up just in time to see her father enter the room. She turned to fully face him, and dipped into a respectful curtsey.

"Father." She looked up to meet his gaze. "Where is mother? Is she well?"

"She is tending to your sister. Anna decided today would be a good day to try her hand at hand to hand combat with one of the suits of armor. She did not take into account that metal is not the most forgiving material, particularly when slammed against flesh. But she will be able to use her sprained wrist again in no time."

Elsa nodded, looking down past her hands, which she'd begun wringing together in her worry for her sister. She gasped when she saw the layer of ice beneath her feet, immediately muttering her mantra under her breath, in hopes of reigning it back in.

The king sighed slightly and moved to sit down in one of the chairs by the window. He gestured for Elsa to do the same, but she remained standing, a safe distance away from her him, as she began to pace, something she'd taken to doing while trying to get her powers back under control. The room sat in a tense silence for a while before the king cleared his throat.

"Elsa, I've been meaning to talk to you. About your powers, and what to do should they somehow reveal themselves if your mother and I aren't…" There was no easy way to say it, so he remained blunt. "If we're no longer alive."

Elsa looked up, eyes wide with panic as a light snow began to fall. "Why would you not be here, Father? Has something happened?"

"It's more of a precaution, just so all possible outcomes are covered. There is no need to get upset. Stay calm." He reached a hand towards Elsa, but she backed away and shook her head, eyes still wide as she muttered her phrase once again.

Elsa took a deep, shaky breath before she tried to speak, her voice trembling as much as her hands were. "In the event of my powers being revealed at a time when you and mother are not here to help explain, what would you have me do, Father?" She kept her gaze trained on the floor, not daring to look up.

"I would have you not run."

Elsa looked up, confused. "Father?"

"Running might make you a target, and might be seen as an abdication of the throne. You will have to try and keep a level head, and not let fear control you. You must not let yourself get so out of hand that you might hurt someone."

Elsa's gaze guiltily fell back to the floor with that thought, the memory of that night replaying itself in her mind.

"If the absolute worst happens, you remember the special cell we showed you in the dungeons."

"Yes, Father." Elsa looked up to meet his gaze again, struggling to keep her hands from trembling as she the snow fell a fraction thicker.

"Do you understand, Elsa?" The king stood and moved towards the door, mindful of the ice that was still spreading from Elsa's feet.

Elsa nodded, pulling her hands to her chest. "I will do my best to respect your wishes, should I ever be put in that position."

"Good." The king opened the door and stepped out "Elsa." He paused and turned back to her, his eyes softening slightly. "I promise your mother and I will be there, when you need us. And I have faith that you will have your powers in control when the time comes for your coronation."

* * *

Three years later, and Elsa recalled that conversation with a bitter laugh.

How certain he had seemed, that nothing would happen to them. How sure he had been that Elsa would have control of her powers by the time she would be coronated.

They had never taken into account the possibility of a shipwreck. And what would father say of her distinct lack of control, worsened, now, by the grief of not only the loss of her best friend ten years ago, but the grief of losing the only two people she had that she could confide in.

Her father had told her not to run from her people. But he had never told her not to run from the demons residing in her mind.

* * *

She ran.

As soon as she saw the expressions of all the people around her, the look of fear in their eyes as the fountain froze before them, she knew she could not stay. She was a danger to them all, a threat to Arendelle. And she would not be able to, could not live with herself should she injure someone else like she had injured her sister.

So she ran.

She did exactly what her father had told her not to do, and she ran, telling herself it was _for_ the good of her people, that they would be better off without her.

She ran, as fast as her legs would carry her, as far as they would take her. She ran blindly, for she had not seen beyond the castle walls in thirteen years. She only knew the more distance she put between herself and Arendelle, the safer her people would be.

Her sister would be a good ruler in her place, a safe ruler. One without a curse that could kill and harm so easily.

She tried to ignore the echoes in her mind, of her sister calling after her, of children crying in fear, of people calling her monster.

The next thing she knew, she was traveling uphill, on some sort of mountainside. There were no people here that she could hurt, not for miles. She made her decision then.

If they could not ever accept her down there, then she would have to learn to accept herself up here, where nothing could touch her, and, more importantly, she couldn't touch anyone.

Her father had told her not to run from her powers. But he had never told her of the self-empowerment that came with her self-acceptance.


	25. Tickle Hugs

**Prompt: One day, Elsa is really sad, & Anna believes she deserves to be happy. So she gets herself, Kai, Kristoff, Olaf & a bunch of the towns kids to attack & tickle & hug her, Elsa even tickling back a few times!**

**Note: Prepare your toothbrushes, guys, this one is sweet enough to give you cavities.**

* * *

Elsa was prone to bad days. It was one of the side effects of dealing with, and recovering from, depression and anxiety. Add on the duty of ruling an entire nation at the age of twenty-one, and one could easily understand the queen's behavior. On Sundays, the only days Elsa had off, she tended to stay in her bedroom, curled up under her covers, more often than not. Sometimes she would read in an armchair by the window, sometimes she would allow Anna to sit with her in silence, but most times, she kept to herself and didn't do anything but lay in bed, and the bedroom door would stay closed all day, which made Anna very uneasy.

So when Anna quietly knocked on her door, and received only a soft, disinterested hum in response, she knew that her sister probably just needed space today, and she could give her that. But when noon passed and afternoon came, and Elsa had not even left her room for a meal or just a small snack, Anna knew that this was one of her particularly bad days. Days that she often spent remembering the sadness of her past, the things she wished she could have done differently, and the things she wished she hadn't done at all.

Anna understood that her sister hurt, but that didn't mean she had to like it. So with determination, and a spring in her step, Anna set off to devise a way to cheer Elsa up as soon as possible.

It did not take long to plan, and, not even a half hour later, Anna stood before her sister's door again. Quietly, gently, she knocked on the door once more, her hand already moving to the doorknob. "Elsa? I know you need some space and quiet right now, but may I come in?"

A quiet sound of affirmation greeted her in return, so she opened the door and went in, closing the door softly behind her. She slowly walked to her sister's bedside, finding her curled up on her side, facing the wall. She looked miserable and tired and _so sad_, and Anna couldn't help but feel the need to lay down next to her in hopes of offering some comfort. Elsa slid back slightly to give her space, lifting the covers up and allowing her sister to snuggle against her.

"You're okay now, Elsa. You're safe," Anna reminded her as Elsa scrunched her eyes closed. She could see the trails from her tears shining brightly against her pale skin as Elsa took a shuddering breath.

"I'm working on it," was all Elsa said in response. But it was answer enough for Anna as they fell back into a silence, and Anna rubbed the back of Elsa's hand soothingly.

"I know." Anna fell silent once again before she spoke. "I know you probably don't want to see anyone right now, but… There are some people down in the castle courtyard who would really like to see you today, if it isn't too much trouble," Anna murmured, tucking a strand of platinum hair behind her sister's ear.

"Anna, I…" Elsa took a deep breath, struggling to find words to let her sister down easy.

"Elsa. Please? It's very important, and might help you feel better," Anna pointed out, propping herself up on her forearm. "And if it's too much, you can come back up here and I'll handle it, okay? A queen's right hand has to be good for something, right?" she joked, hoping to loosen Elsa up a little.

Elsa smiled faintly, sighed slightly, and nodded. "Alright. I'll go." She moved to sit up, waiting for her sister to stand before she stood, as well, waving a hand and allowing her magic to create her a simple gown presentable for greeting guests in. "Lead the way, right hand." She smiled slightly and looped her arm through Anna's.

"Thank you, Elsa." She stood and waited for her sister to get ready, smoothing her own skirts out before smiling and walking with her in the direction of the courtyard. "I don't think this will be too taxing on you, but, if it is, you remember what I said."

Elsa nodded as she pushed the front door of the castle open and walked down the steps. There were… quite a few people there to greet her. Among those she recognised were Kristoff, Olaf, and even Kai. She supposed she could do this, they were mostly people she knew, anyways. Though the amount of children there did give her pause, she was not quite sure why they might be there. She gave a polite nod as they came to a halt in front of the small crowd.

"Who would like to see me first?" Elsa asked, looking around briefly.

"Now!" Anna cried, and before Elsa could even react, the crowd of children and her friends were all headed straight at her, from all sides. She would have tensed, had it not been for Anna's relaxing hand on her shoulder.

The next thing she knew, she was in a very large group hug, right in the middle, as the children, her sister, and their friends all surrounded her. She was greeted with such warmth, both inside and out, that she couldn't help the smile that started to form on her face.

"Release the tickles!" came Anna's voice from somewhere beside her, and Elsa felt tiny hands start to do exactly as told, tickling everywhere they could reach as she laughed softly, squirming in place, but unable to move due to the hugs she was still receiving. But she was not to be defeated so easily.

With a bit of effort, Elsa freed her hands and began to tickle the children around her, delighting in their squeals of laughter and giggles as they shied away from her. By the time she was done, she was left with only Anna still remaining by her side, laughing as Elsa tickled her, too.

The smile that graced Elsa's face in that moment was one that would not soon be forgotten. Her smile was so bright, her eyes full of joy and love, masked only slightly by the disbelief that so many people were trying to cheer her up.

Once she finally gave up on tickling Anna, she straightened, looking out to all the children in front of her. "Thank you. Thank you to each and every one of you, for your kindness and your caring. It means more than words can ever say." She smiled brightly before looking down as she felt a tug on her skirts. Seeing the young child in front of her, she knelt down to her level. The child, suddenly growing shy, ducked her head and held out a small bouquet of flowers to the surprised queen. "For me? Did you pick these all by yourself?" She took the flowers from the girl, who shook her head.

"We all helped!" came a voice from amongst the children, and Elsa smiled once again.

"You did? Well, I think that calls for another hug!" She held her arms out, and the girl before her hugged her shyly as the other children all ran up and enveloped her in a group hug once again. To the best of her ability, Elsa thanked each and every one as they left with their parents, waving them off with a gentle smile on her face.

When all had left but her sister and their friends, she turned to Anna, holding her arms out as her sister raced over to her, wrapping her up in a warm hug, to which Anna responded eagerly and happily.

"Thank you, Anna. You truly are the best sister I could have ever asked for."

Anna hummed contentedly. "And so are you, Elsa. Don't ever forget that."


	26. The Queen Falls Ill

**Prompt: Elsa is sick and is leaking magic all over the room.**

* * *

It had started out as what had appeared to be just a cold.

That wouldn't seem like anything out of the ordinary for anyone else, but Elsa never got sick. Most seemed to think that it was her body's naturally colder temperature, paired with her powers that kept her from getting sicknesses. She had, after all, gone twenty-one years without so much as a case of the sniffles. No one could have ever expected what would happen over the course of the next few days.

The fever came first.

Anna had been shocked that she was up before her sister, and so had gone to see what was keeping her. She had been greeted with the sight of her sister sprawled on her bed, nightgown still on, and the covers thrown completely off of her. Knowing that her sister never slept late, even if given the option to, she knew that something had to be wrong, and so she had stepped over to the bed. On closer inspection, Anna had found that her sister was still sleeping, but didn't look to be very comfortable. With a slightly trembling hand, she had reached out to touch her sister's forehead, and almost immediately drawn back. She'd been burning up, hotter than Anna could ever remember herself getting. She'd gently nudged her shoulder, to try and wake her so she could try and gauge how she might be feeling, but when Elsa had looked up at her with pained, glassy eyes, dull from whatever sickness she was experiencing, Anna had felt bad, and let her rest, trying her best to make her comfortable before she had gone to find Kai and inform him that she would be taking over Elsa's duties until she got better.

The chills came shortly after.

Later that evening, when Anna had finally been free from the meetings she had had to sit through all day, she had gone to go check on Elsa, to see how she was faring, and to let her know that she needn't worry about getting behind in her meetings. She'd found Elsa curled up under every blanket on the bed now, and shivering violently. That was when Anna knew that something was definitely wrong. Elsa never shivered, never grew cold. She'd placed her hand on her forehead again, and had been greeted with the same heat that had been there before, if not worse than it had been that morning. She watched as Elsa looked up to her with tired, distressed eyes, and, not knowing what else to do, she had gone to the door to call for Kai to alert the castle physician before going back to her sister's bedside, climbing into bed and letting Elsa snuggle against her, rubbing her back as she hoped the doctor might have answers.

As it had turned out, he hadn't. As experienced a doctor as he was, he had had no information about the sickness that Elsa was plagued with. He had never seen a fever so high, nor had he seen someone rendered so helpless by simply a fever and chills. He had given Elsa a vaccine to try and alleviate some of the pain she seemed to be experiencing, but otherwise had nothing else he could do to help. Anna had simply nodded absentmindedly and turned back to her sister, dipping a rag in the water basin at her bedside and dabbing Elsa's forehead gently. Worried no longer began to describe how she was feeling.

On the second day, Elsa started to cough.

Anna had stayed by her sister's bedside all night, dozing off every thirty minutes, only to wake up, wet the rag again, and place it on her sister's forehead before dozing off, and then repeating the cycle all over again. She'd been startled awake around dawn by the sound of her sister coughing, a wheezing, rattling sound that Anna instantly didn't like. The coughing had lasted for several painful minutes, and by the time she was finished, Elsa had been gasping for breath. Anna had leaned over, silently trying to help her sister sit, but Elsa had pushed her hand away, worry evident in her eyes, and Anna realised that, despite how terrible she was feeling, she was more concerned about her sister catching whatever she had if she got too close. Anna had smiled reassuringly before wetting the rag once more, and went right back to soothing her sister, until she had to go change and sit through more meetings in her sister's place. When she'd checked on her sister again that evening, she'd been sleeping somewhat peacefully, so Anna had changed the rag once more before leaving her be for the night, a decision which had turned out to be foolish.

On the third day, Elsa lost control of her powers.

Anna had dressed and headed for Elsa's room with the intent of checking on her. But when she reached the bedroom, she'd found the door stuck tight, the handle ice cold. Fearing the worst, Anna had summoned all of her strength to knock her shoulder against the door until it had burst open, and she'd tumbled in, sliding one the ice that was spread across the floor. When she had regained her balance, she had looked up to the bed to see Elsa curled up on herself, trembling, though whether from fear or from being sick, Anna hadn't been so sure. She had approached the bed, and reached out to comfort Elsa, but she had drawn away.

It was then that, for the first time since she had gotten sick, that Elsa had spoken, voice raspy and hoarse from days of not talking. "Anna… Please… You're not safe here…"

Anna had shook her head furiously, kneeling down beside her sister as she spoke, "I'm not leaving you to deal with this alone. The meetings today can wait. I'm going to go get us some food, and you can try to eat if you're up to it. You're going to get through this, Elsa. I promise." But would she? Anna had tried to shake that thought from her mind as she patted her sister's hand and carefully exited the room.

That had been thirty minutes ago, and now Anna was heading back up the stairs to the bedroom, tray of food in hand as she nudged the bedroom door open with her hip, she smiled and turned to the bed, but the words she was about to say died quickly on the tip of her tongue.

Elsa was convulsing on the bed, her entire body rigid as she shook. The tray fell to the ground, but Anna didn't care as she ran to her sister's side. Anna wanted to scream, scream for help, scream in terror, scream _something_, but she couldn't move, frozen in terror as she watched her sister seize. She was vaguely aware of the ice and snow shooting out from her sister's hands and feet, but she didn't move, didn't make a sound as she watched in horror. She didn't know how long she stood there, unable to move, nor was she aware of when she began to cry, but suddenly her sister was still once more, resting heavily against the bed, chest rising rapidly, but steadily slowing down enough for Anna to know that whatever had happened had passed now. With a trembling hand, she reached over, pressing a hand to her sister's chest, searching for her heartbeat, and sighing slightly when she can feel it, relieved that, though uneven, it was still there. She reached for the wet rag, dipping it in the water basin and wringing it out before wiping away the drool that had escaped down Elsa's cheek during her seizure. It was then that Elsa stirred, once, looking up at her sister briefly and moving her lips to say something that Anna couldn't hear before falling unconscious again. Anna decided then and there that she would not leave Elsa's side again, under any circumstances. She held her sister's hand in hers and cried.

She stayed there, through the rest of the day and well into the night, watching over her sister intently, only moving to rinse the rag out and place it back on her sister's forehead. She watched for any sign of movement, any sign that her sister might seize again, but Elsa remained sleeping, chest rising and falling at a slow enough pace that Anna knew to keep an eye on it. But Elsa never woke again, never moved. Her hand was limp in her own, and she was so very pale, and so, _so_ still that Anna feared that she would have to bury a third person she loved.

It was around dawn, the fourth day since Elsa had fallen ill, when Anna felt Elsa's hand move slightly She immediately looked up to Elsa's face, waiting to see any signs of movement, and she nearly cried in relief when she saw Elsa's eyes open, watching her with a tired, lopsided grin on her face. She appeared to be sweating, so Anna reached over to move the rag and felt her forehead and felt tears well up in her eyes once again. Her fever had broken. Whatever sickness had taken hold of Elsa was finally releasing its grip. Death would not be taking her sister anytime soon. Anna rubbed the back of her sister's hand gently before pulling the covers back, and sliding in next to her sister. Being as gentle as possible, she wrapped her arms around her sister, being mindful that she was still weak, and probably sore, and cried as she realised just how close she had been to possibly losing her sister.

She didn't know what kind of sickness this had been, and she didn't know if she would ever get answers. Perhaps if she asked the trolls, they might have an answer. But her sister was okay now. She was alive, and, given time, she would be healthy and back to normal again. She opened her eyes to see her sister looking down at her, fatigue and concern in her eyes, but Anna just laughed softly, holding her sister tightly. "You're gonna be okay, Elsa. You're gonna live. You're okay, Elsa. I've got you."


	27. Rest and Relaxation

**Prompt: Anna and Elsa get a spa treatment from Oaken and family.**

**Note: Slight deviation from original prompt, due to inability to find information about spas in the 1800s. Sigh.**

* * *

This was, by far, one of the best decisions Anna had ever made. Not to say that all of her decisions weren't great ones, but sometimes her sister and friends seemed to argue against her definition of "good decision."

When Elsa had come into the dining room for dinner the night before, positively exhausted, Anna had proclaimed that the next day would be taken off, and that she and her sister would engage in a girl's day. Elsa had protested profusely, saying she was fine, just a little worn down from a week full of meetings, signing treaties, and greeting foreign dignitaries, but Anna had insisted, saying she knew the perfect place where they could spend some relaxing downtime. Elsa had still been very wary, but all it took one was perfectly plotted pout from Anna, and Elsa cracked.

"Alright, fine," Elsa had sighed, rolling her eyes, more playful, rather than upset. "And where might this perfect place be?"

Anna had grinned excitedly. "Wandering Oaken's Trading Post. Oh, and Sauna! That's the most important part for our trip."

"A sauna? Anna, I don't know that I wanna try that…" Elsa had begun, wringing her hands together in her lap, but Anna had cut her off.

"Nope. No ifs, ands, or buts. You're going, even if I have to drag you to the stables and tie you onto my horse, and carry you into the sauna myself." Anna had shook her finger determinedly at Elsa, who rolled her eyes and giggled behind her hand.

Well, Anna hadn't had to drag her out there, but maybe tying her to the horse would have been easier than having Elsa squirm and wiggle, not all that thrilled about being on a horse when she'd never actually learned how to ride one.

"Elsa, relax! If you're so terrified, why didn't you ride in front of me, where I could keep you from falling?" Anna rolled her eyes as she slowed the horse down to a trot, rather than a gallop.

Elsa sighed, loudly and dramatically, and wrapped her arms tighter around her sister's waist. "Because, I… I just didn't want to."

Anna made a face, though it was lost to her sister, whose own face was currently pressed against her sister's back. "Look, we're here now, okay, you can get off your high horse." She snorted. "High horse. Geddit? Cause… we're on a horse?" She slid down from the horse, and out of her sister's grasp.

"Anna. Just get me down from here."

Anna rolled her eyes, and took her sister's hand and helped her slide gracefully to the ground. She turned to the small building in front of her; it looked slightly different without snow surrounding it, a lot homier. "Elsa, welcome to Oaken's." She presented the building to her sister, wide grin on her face. "Come on, let's go say hi before we head to the sauna!" Anna bounded up the steps, leaving her sister to follow behind her, shaking her head with a chuckle.

Elsa walked up the steps and followed her sister through the door, looking around the quaint little room before her gaze landed on a man sitting at a desk.

"Hoo hoo! Hello again, Princess! And hello, Queen!" He bowed his head down before turning back to Anna. "Back to use the sauna again? You know where the changing room is, Miss Anna. Enjoy!"

Anna beamed. "Thank you, Mr. Oaken! Come on, Elsa, I'll show you where to go."

Elsa smiled politely, if not a little uneasily, at Oaken before being pulled away by Anna. It had only been a few months since the Great Thaw, and Elsa was still uneasy around other people sometimes, but Anna was helping with that. But Oaken didn't seem too bad, and it was clear that Anna liked him.

Elsa was startled back to the present as a towel hit her face, and she grabbed it before it could fall to the ground. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"You put it on. Before we go in the sauna. Kinda like a dress, but with no sleeves or straps, and with nothing on underneath it." Anna nodded as she moved into one of the dressing rooms and began to change.

"I'm supposed to wear a towel? Only a towel? In that room with a glass door that anyone that walks in can see through?" Elsa clutched the towel tightly in her hands, feeling very uneasy at the prospect.

"Elsa, relax. I come here all the time, and I can promise you, no one ever comes up here. Seriously, I think Kristoff and Olaf and I, and now you, are the only people I've ever seen up here. Well, except for Oaken and his family. You'll be fine. Besides, I'll be in just a towel, too, so you won't be alone, okay?" Anna emerged, clad in her towel, which she had secured around herself. "And look, the towels are super big, so you don't have to worry about them falling down or not covering everything up."

"Anna, I… I don't know…" Elsa bit her lip, looking between the sauna and the towel in her hands, then up to her sister.

"Elsa." Anna moved to put her hand on Elsa's shoulder, squeezing gently. "If you really don't want to do this, you don't have to. But I think you need a relaxing break, after all the stress you've been under this week."

Elsa sighed and looked back down at the towel. Maybe just one time wouldn't hurt too badly. "Alright. Fine. Just this once."

Anna positively beamed, and nodded excitedly. "Okay. I'm gonna head on into the sauna. You can come in when you're ready. No rush." Anna smiled reassuringly before turning on her heel and opening the door to the sauna, disappearing inside.

Elsa looked down to the towel, took a deep breath, and headed into the dressing room, reemerging a few minutes later with the towel wrapped tightly around herself, keeping a grip on it, just in case. She walked slowly over to the glass door, and could see her sister already lounged across one of the wooden benches, eyes closed and content smile on her face. Elsa smiled fondly before pushing the door open and going in. She was immediately hit with a stifling heat, and it would have been uncomfortable if it wasn't so strangely relaxing.

Anna peeked an eye open and looked up at her sister and grinned. "Hey, Elsa. Just sit down wherever, anywhere's a good spot."

Elsa nodded and sat down, leaning stiffly against the wood wall.

Anna raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes. "You have to relax if you want the full experience, Elsa. Come on, take a deep breath." She demonstrated, and Elsa rolled her eyes, but played along. "And then release it." Anna exhaled.

Elsa did the same, surprisingly finding herself more relaxed as she leaned back against the wall again. It was almost as if she could feel all of the stress melting away, replaced by the warmth that the steam was bringing. She imagined she probably looked fairly unsightly, her pale skin tended to go bright red when she got too hot, but that didn't matter. She felt relieved, the stem was soothing, and she felt like she could stay in here forever.

"That's it. Now you're doing it right. Now just keep breathing. Let the warm, soothing air wash over you, and-"

"Anna." Elsa raised an eyebrow, looking over at her sister, who smiled sheepishly. "I think the relaxing part might go better if we don't talk." But despite her words, Elsa scooted over to sit next to her sister, resting her head on her shoulder. "Thank you for bringing me up here. I _did_ need this."

Anna grinned goofily and nodded. "You're welcome, oh bestest sister of mine."

Elsa laughed and nudged her shoulder playfully before settling back into silence again, gently resting her head back on her sister's shoulder, earning a content smile from the younger girl.

Yes. This was definitely one of the best decisions Anna had ever made.


	28. Long Live the Queen

**Prompt: Self-prompted, because I thought to myself 'hey, I didn't kill anyone off this go-around.' And you can't have a Frozen Celebration without me killing someone off.**

**Also, this is the final installment of this collection. I will continue to take drabbles, and will either start a new story for all drabbles, or may just make each drabble a new story. I've not yet decided. Thank you to all who have sent in prompts so far.**

**Trigger Warning: Death**

* * *

Normal days had become an ordinary thing in Arendelle. The weather was always pleasant, even in winter, and Elsa had not lost control of her powers since her coronation, nine months ago. The only time she even used them was if someone asked her to, usually Anna or some of the town children, who she was more than happy to comply to. Everything was back to normal, the crops were planted and were doing well, the ships that had been damaged had just all been fixed, or replaced, if needed, and the country was overall a happier place, for the royal family and citizens, alike.

That didn't mean that there was never any boredom. Particularly in Anna's case. She loved that her sister was back in her rightful place at the throne, and that she was faring well as both queen of the nation and her big sister, but this 'no playing while I'm working' thing was getting old rather quickly, even if she did have her sister full-time on the weekends. Nine months had proven that there was still much to learn about each other, and sometimes Anna just refused to let work get in the way of progress.

That's how she had come to be sitting sideways in a large armchair in her sister's study, legs kicking over one arm, and head hanging upside down over the other arm, as she looked at her sister, who was reading at her desk. "Elsa, how much more do you have to read? I'm bored. And hungry."

"No one is keeping you in here, Anna. I told you, we don't have much time to play on days that I work. I've told you that for nine months now. If you're truly that hungry, go on to lunch ahead of me, and I'll meet you later." Elsa didn't even so much as look up from her paperwork.

Anna huffed. "That's just a way of saying, 'leave me alone until I finish this work,' which we both know means you'll just stay in here until bedtime."

Elsa sighed and set her quill down, turning to face her sister. "Anna, you know I need to get these papers signed and sent to our neighbouring kingdoms. I've pushed them off for far too long, and it would make me seem a weak queen if I did not follow through on my word." She glanced over to the small table in the middle of the room, upon which sat a small box. "Look, if you can wait just ten more minutes, I'll be done, and we can go eat dinner. And since you're so hungry, I relinquish that box of chocolates to you. I believe Kai brought them in just this morning, something from a neighbouring kingdom, I believe is what he said. You should count yourself lucky that the queen holds you in such high regards so as to simply hand over her own chocolates," she teased, making a face at her sister.

Anna rolled her eyes, but jumped up and walked to her sister, leaning down to hug her. "Thanks, Els! I love you!"

Elsa smiled and nodded. "And I you…" She trailed off as she turned back to her paperwork with determined fervor.

Anna skipped over to the table and picked the box up. She took the lid off, and caught sight of a small piece of paper tucked inside of it, but decided to disregard it as she sat back down on the couch. "Okay, but since you gave them to me, I'm going to eat them all…"

Elsa waved her hand in compliance as she continued to read, making a note before flipping the page.

Anna grinned smugly and took a chocolate out and popped it in her mouth. "Mm… These are really good, Elsa, you're missing out." She popped another in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "Ooh, this is one of the one's that has strawberry filling inside." Another was consumed. "A mint one." Anna continued in much the same manner, before she finally reached down and her hand met nothing but wrappers. "Aw, man, gone already? Whatever country sent these totally skimped out, you should write them a strongly worded letter. As queen, you shouldn't have to…" she trailed off as her stomach lurched, and she all of a sudden felt queasy. And when did her head start pounding?

Elsa turned, finishing up her paperwork and setting her quill down, moving to stand up as she quirked an eyebrow at her sister. "'Shouldn't have to' what, Anna?"

Anna shook her head slightly. "I don't know. I don't know what I was going to say…" She shrugged and jumped to her feet and stumbled to the door. "Whoo, I need to practice my walking, I guess." She turned to go down the hall.

"Erm, you also need to practice your sense of direction. Dining room's this way, you know that."

Anna paused and tilted her head to the side. "Huh." She turned back towards her sister and followed after her, holding her head in her hands.

"Anna, are you alright?" Elsa looked over at her, slightly concerned at her sister's behaviour.

"Y-Yeah. Just a headache, nothing important. And I'm kinda tired."

"Tired? Not five minutes ago you were excitedly eating chocolates and waiting to come eat dinner. Are you not well?"

Anna shook her head. "No, I'm…" She blinked once, twice. Why was everything so blurry? "I'm…" Her eyes rolled back into her head, and she fell to the floor. Elsa was at her side in an instant.

"Anna? Anna!" She knelt next to her and shook her arm, attempting to wake her up. "Anna!" With a strength she didn't know she possessed, she picked her sister up, cradling her in her arms as she made her way as quickly as she could to her room, the closest rom with a bed. As she passed a bewildered-looking Kai, she informed him to fetch the doctor, immediately. She got into her room and gently laid Anna on the bed, grasping her hand in hers and brushing some hair from her forehead, which was burning hot. "You're okay, Anna. I've got you. You silly dork, you probably ate yourself sick with all those chocolates," she laughed, trying to soothe her own nerves.

The doctor arrived shortly afterwards, and Elsa sighed in relief as she stood, allowing the doctor to check her sister over. "I think perhaps she just ate too many chocolates, and had a bit of an energy crash."

The doctor looked at the queen and shook his head. "Your Majesty… I have been in this castle since before you were born. And I have seen your sister go through many a stomachache after eating too many chocolates. She has never reacted in such a manner before."

Elsa blanched as she looked between her sister and the doctor. "Then what is it? What's wrong with her?"

"If your Majesty would be so kind as to bring me the box of chocolates your sister ate from, that might be a start.

Elsa blinked, then nodded, practically flying from the bedroom to the study to grab the box and the lid, and back to the bedroom. She came back to see her sister writhing on the bed, emitting a terrifying sound that would haunt Elsa forever. She ran to the bedside and reached for her sister, then paused, unsure of what to do, or if she should do anything at all. "What's happening? How can I help?"

"She's convulsing. There's not much we can do right now, but don't touch her, and don't move her. Hopefully, it will pass soon.

Elsa continued to watch her sister, worriedly and helpless, as she continued to seize for a short time, before her body finally fell limp. She looked to the doctor, who nodded, and she handed him the empty box that the chocolates had been in before kneeling down beside the bed and taking Anna's hand in hers. "Anna… You're gonna be okay. I promise. You just… You ate too much chocolate. That's it. That _has_ to be it." She used her sleeve to gently wipe the thin line of drool trailing from the corner of her sister's mouth. "I will make sure that you are okay."

The doctor cleared his throat, and Elsa turned to look at him. "Your Majesty, who gave you these chocolates?"

"Kai brought them to me, he said they were sent over from a neighbouring country. Why do you ask?"

The doctor took a piece of paper from the inside of the lid and handed it to her. "I think you need to read this."

Elsa looked down at the paper before taking it from him with a shaky hand. She unfolded it so that she could read it, and cried out softly.

_From your friend in the Southern Isles,_

_Long live the queen._

That was all the note said, and that was all she needed to know exactly who had sent the chocolates, chocolates meant for _her_. She shook her head in disbelief as she looked back up to the doctor, eyes blurry with tears. "Are… Are you saying these were poisoned?"

"I'm saying that's what it looks like. And giving the symptoms your sister is showing, that suspicion is confirmed. I am also saying… You need to say your goodbyes." Elsa opened her mouth to try and protest, but the doctor continued. "She ate all of them in one sitting. Depending on how much poison was in each one…" The doctor sighed and looked down at his bag as he finished gathering his things. "There is nothing more you or I or anyone can do. But you should sit with her. Make her comfortable. Remind her that you love her." The doctor smiled sadly before standing. "I am so sorry, my queen."

"So am I," Elsa managed in a broken voice, watching as the doctor left the room before looking back down at the note in her hand. She screamed, crumpling the note up and tearing it to pieces before freezing it for good measure, throwing it and watching as it broke into a thousand tiny pieces. She clawed at her hair, breathing coming in short pants as she went into a panic.

How could this happen? _Why_ did this have to happen? And why now, when they were finally getting so close again, and things were finally perfect? The chocolates had been meant for _her_, Hans had meant for _her_ to eat them. And she had just let Anna have them. Anna was dying, and it was _her_ fault, once again. She screamed again, burying her face in her hands as tears fell like crystals of ice from her eyes.

"E-Elsa?"

Elsa quickly turned back to the bed and moved to kneel next to her sister, doing her best to gain her composure back, for Anna's sake. "Anna. How are you feeling?" She gave a watery smile. "Do you feel better?"

"Elsa… What's wrong with me?" Anna looked up at her sister, her eyes tired and dull, as if the light was already on its way out.

"Nothing's wrong with you, Anna. You're going to be okay." She clasped one of her sister's hands in both of hers as she felt tears start to well in her eyes again. "You'll be good as new in no time, and then we can spend all day playing, no interruptions, I promise."

"You wouldn't be crying if I was okay." Anna moved her free hand to rest on top of her sister's. "What's wrong with me? I'm a big girl, I can take it."

Elsa gave a sad chuckle at that as she moved to brush Anna's bangs from her eyes. "You always were so brave, little snowbug." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before slowly looking back to her sister. "Anna. Those chocolates that you ate… They came from the Southern Isles, from Hans. They were intended for me. They were laced with some kind of poison, according to the doctor."

Anna seemed to slowly take this in as she nodded absentmindedly. "Is… Is that why my stomach hurts? And my arms and legs feel so sore and cramped?"

Elsa nodded quietly, watching her sister.

Anna stayed silent for a while, and tears started to form in her own eyes as she looked up to her sister. "Did he say how much longer I have?"

Elsa sniffled softly, reaching up to brush the tears from her sister's freckled cheeks. "We've got one more night together." She tucked some stray hair behind Anna's ear. "Should I send for Kristoff and Sven and Olaf?"

Anna laughed, bitterly and sadly, as she brought her hand up to wipe at her cheeks. "Kristoff is off in the mountains, checking for ice. Olaf and Sven are with him. Th-they won't be back for three more days." Her bottom lip trembled, and she gave a quiet sob before she began to cry. Elsa immediately climbed up onto the bed and held her sister gently, brushing a hand over her hair to soothe her as she gently shushed her, her own tears falling thick and fast.

"Elsa… Elsa, I'm going to be sick," Anna managed to whimper through her tears, and Elsa grabbed the empty water basin from the bedside just in time for Anna to retch into it while Elsa made sure her hair stayed out of the way. As soon as she finished, she went right back to crying, burying her face in Elsa's shoulder.

"Sh, sh, sh… It's…" The words died on her lips. Of course it wasn't okay, it couldn't possibly be okay anymore. She settled for gently shushing her, rubbing her back gently as they both continued to weep.

She wasn't sure when Anna had fallen asleep, but she startled when she realised it, and scrabbled to press a hand to her sister's chest, to make sure that she _was_ just sleeping. Her relief was short-lived as she felt her sister tense up again, and the convulsing started again. She slipped out from under her sister so she could lay flat, and watched in silence, tears falling faster with every second that passed. Eventually, though not soon enough, Anna fell still again, and, a few minutes later, opened her eyes again.

Elsa looked down at her sister, the fear and pain in her eyes so evident that it made Elsa wish it had been her instead of her sister. Anna could never deserve suffering such as this. She watched as Anna laid her head back against the pillow, and she moved to lay down next to her again, watching her as she closed her eyes and took slow, deep breaths. She was getting more and more tired. That wasn't a good sign. But maybe if she fell asleep, she wouldn't have to feel any more pain before she passed. Elsa wasn't sure how exactly all poisons worked, but she imagined it couldn't possibly be a pleasant experience. She longed for something to help her sister be more comfortable, more at ease. She held her closer as a thought entered her mind.

"Anna…?" she asked quietly, leaning over to press a tender kiss to her forehead, and watching as she opened her eyes slowly. "Do you wanna build a snowman?" She sobbed quietly. "One more, for old time's sake?"

Anna laughed, a sad, broken sound, as she nodded as much as she could. "Yes. Yes, I do."

Elsa mustered the best smile she could before conjuring a tiny snowfall on Anna's stomach, enough so that they could begin to form a miniature snowman. Elsa sang softly, the song she'd heard her sister sing at her door when they were younger, and Anna smiled tiredly as she finished forming the middle and placed it on top of the part Elsa had made. Together, they then packed a tiny shape for his head before placing it on top. With a wave of her hand, Elsa made the miniature Olaf look-alike come to life, and it waddled up Anna's stomach, up her arm, and to her shoulder, where it nuzzled against her cheek. Anna laughed as more tears began to fall, and Elsa watched in sad silence.

The more time passed, the more Anna began to blink more, slowly, and Elsa could tell she was struggling to stay awake. She bit her lip as a quiet sob escaped.

"If… If you're tired, you can go to sleep." She placed her hand on Anna's cheek, brushing her thumb against the freckled skin soothingly. "I-I'll be here when you wake up."

Anna sobbed softly as she nodded. "I'm holding you to that." She winced and put a hand to her stomach. Elsa brought the water basin over, just in case, but Anna shook her head as she rested back against the pillow. Elsa lifted the covers up around them as Anna snuggled against her.

They remained in silence for a while, Anna hiccupping softly as she cried, and Elsa rubbing her back in slow, soothing circles, hoping to alleviate any pain, if possible, her eyes never leaving her sister's face as she watched her struggle to keep from closing her eyes for too long.

"It's okay, Anna. Sleep," she murmured. "You'll feel no more pain when you wake, I promise."

Anna nodded tiredly and looked back up at her sister. "Elsa…?" she began slowly. "Thank you… for letting me in again… and for always making time to play with me."

Elsa bit her lip as she shook with barely hidden sobs. "And thank you for coming up a mountain to find me, and for teaching me how important love is."

Anna nodded as a single tear rolled down her cheek, and she finally let her eyes close. "I love you, Elsie."

Elsa nodded and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "And I love you, Anna. So much more than you will ever know. And I'm so sorry that this happened, I will never be able to forgive myself for-"

"No. Please. For me. Forgive yourself for me. _Please_," Anna murmured, her breathing slowly starting to even out.

Elsa nodded as she choked on her sobs. "For you. For you." She wrapped her sister in a hug, guiding her head to rest on her shoulder as she continued to cry silently.

Hours passed. The room remained silently still. Elsa did not know what time it finally happened. She had been too busy watching as her sister took her last breaths, too busy screaming and sobbing, too busy clutching her sister's body in her arms and rocking her back and forth, praying to whoever might be listening that this was only a terrible nightmare and nothing more.

She did not know how long she mourned, nor did she know when she managed to pull herself together enough to stand and make her way to the door. With a perfectly practiced face, completely void of all emotion, Elsa opened the door, revealing the small crowd of staff that stood just outside, many in tears. With a voice unbetraying of her inner turmoil, Elsa spoke, loud and clear, for all to hear.

"At dawn, our battleships sail for the Southern Isles."


End file.
